Sailor Helga: SGR
by Unsure-Dreamer-87
Summary: 6/20/11 : STORY CONCLUDED. CHAPTERS 6 TO EPILOGUE ADDED! - Did you REALLY think it was over? Sequel to the 2007 Hey Arnold!/Sailormoon crossover.
1. Prologue

**Sailor Helga: SGR**

_(Special Thanks to Sokai for all the feedback & support. Love ya, girl - you rock!)_**  
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**Prologue**

_Criminy...I can't believe I'm starting ANOTHER one of these diaries..._

_Just finished filling up my third "little pink book" (it helps to by them in bulk, I guess)._

_Actually, it's been a while since I've had to crack open a new one. Two years, to be precise. Man, how time flies. Seems like only yesterday I was writing about the whacked-out adventures I was having in the fourth grade. Heh, I'm sure Dr. Bliss would think I'm a nutjob. Oh well..._

_School's starting up again in a week. It'll be nice to see my friends again. Well, okay – FRIEND, but Phoebe's the only friend I need anyway. It'll be interesting to see which kids in my class had growth spurts over the summer break. Especially Arnold..._

_I've finally outgrown these stupid pink dresses handed down to me by Olga; now I can at least wear her second-hand jeans and not look like a complete tool. Found this old hat in Gerald Field and decided to claim it as my own; Miriam hates it, so it's here to stay._

_My summer? Sucked, what's new? My life's been pretty dull since that whole...moon thing with the cat a couple years ago. Phoebe and I talk about from time to time, but most of the time we keep what happened to ourselves. Search me if Princess Rhonda's done the same – I'm sure she's blabbed the entire episode to Nadine by now, but no matter. It'll only make her look all the more crazy..._

_We don't really hang out that much, Rhonda and I. It's kind of sad, really, considering what we've been through. But I guess it just goes to show you that some people never change. Wait, what am I talking about? It's no skin off my nose. Like I'd wanna be friends with Princess Rhondaloid anyway..._

_I haven't seen Arnold that much this summer. He just came back last weekend from a camping trip with his grandpa. I remember the time when I went camping with him; that was so much fun. And Big Bob got poison ivy, ha! One of the best moments ever._

_There's talk that Arnold's been hanging around with Lila a lot lately. I hope not – I thought he got over Miss Perfect. Or perhaps I should say, Miss Imperfect; she seems like such a different person now. Black shirt, ripped overalls, messy hair. She's still insufferably nice to everyone, but I can tell that being dirt-poor is getting the best of her. Probably doesn't help that her father is such a loser; apparently he's having a tough time holding on to a stable job._

_Criminy, even in the private sanctuary of these pages I can't avoid talking about her. I guess that means it's time for me to wrap this up. School starts tomorrow, and I still need to borrow money from Miriam's purse to cover lunch._

_Helga_

* * *

><p>"Helga...Helga, it's time to wake honey..."<p>

Helga heard Miriam's voice drone as she made her way into her bedroom. Helga covered her head with her pillow in defiance and growled loudly.

"Don't you have school today, sweetie?"

"_Grr_...just give me 5 more minutes, Miriam," grumbled Helga, underneath a mountain of blankets. "I have plenty of time. It's only...what time is it, anyway?" an arm emerged from the bed and groped blindly for the alarm clock sitting on the dresser beside her bed. The arm then retreated back into the fabric mass, and there was silence, followed by a loud, panicked "AAAAAHH!" as Helga literally tumbled to the floor.

"IT'S 8 O'CLOCK!" screamed Helga. "Why didn't you tell me it was 8 o'clock? I've got to be at school in 20 minutes!"

"Oh...I thought...I thought you didn't start until 8:30..." rebutted Miriam.

Helga wasted no time arguing with her scatterbrained mother, instead making a beeline for the closet to throw some clothes on. She appeared literally seconds later in a wrinkled pair of jeans and a pink dress that she dug up from the dirty laundry hamper. She grabbed her backpack and zipped by Miriam.

"Bye dear, have fun at school..." said Miriam, still left standing at the doorway.

Helga raced downstairs and into the kitchen, where Big Bob was busy sitting and reading the newspaper.

"Police have reported a dramatic increase in robberies over the past several weeks…" the radio blared on the kitchen counter. "No injuries have been documented, but authorities are advising citizens to lock their doors and to enforce a curfew for minors…"

"Mornin', Big Bob!" she said, as her hand stealthily went for his plate of toast of eggs and scooped it up as she went for the door. "Bye, Big Bob!"

"_Grgdmprh_...mornin'," muttered Big Bob, unaware of the theft on his breakfast until she was well on her way down the street. He slammed his fist angrily on the table. "Darn it, Olga!"

Helga kept up a swift but steady jog; if she was going to make it before the first morning bell, there would be no time for walking. She sensed that there was someone behind her so she looked over her shoulder. There, only a couple a feet away, and also jogging at a rather brisk pace, was a petite girl with black hair down to her shoulders, wearing a blue shirt with matching blue skirt. Her glasses bounced up and down on her nose as she ran, making Helga chortle.

"Seriously, Phoebe?" laughed Helga, slowing down only slightly so that she could run alongside her best friend. "_You're _late for school? I must be seeing things!"

Phoebe panted, clearly out of breath. "I will not...get a tardy...on the first day of school..."

Helga rolled her eyes. "Criminy...come on," she removed her backpack and pointed to the available space on her back.

Phoebe blushed. "Helga, I can't...!"

"It's either that or be late for school!" warned Helga. Finally, Phoebe hopped on Helga's back, allowing herself to be piggybacked the rest of the way to school.

"You're lucky you're light," Helga smirked.

With only a few minutes to spare, the old, austere school building of P.S. 118 appeared in the horizon. After crossing the street, Phoebe jumped off her friend's shoulders and back onto the ground. "Thanks, Helga," she said.

"No problem," said Helga, flexing her arm muscles. "I needed the workout anyway – I've vegged out WAY too much this summer break."

The two friends made their way to the side of the school, through the playground, and cut through Woodrow Wilson auditorium, as it lead to a quicker route into the upper levels of the school, where grades 6-8 were taught.

"Do you suppose we'll be in the same class this year?" asked Phoebe.

"I hope so," replied Helga, as she pushed the door of the auditorium opened and it filtered into the main hall, where all the other students had congregated.

"Aren't you excited? As of today, we are officially sixth-graders! We are now considered the adolescent ambassadors of this fine academic establishment!"

Helga scoffed. "Big whoop – now instead of being the most senior of the juniors, we're scraping the bottom of the barrel again."

Helga established her point by motioning towards Wolfgang – now a seventh-grader – as he held Sid upside-down and shook him for his lunch money. Edmund and the other seventh-graders nudged each other and laughed. "See? Nothing's changed."

As she spoke, Arnold passed Helga's peripheral vision, stopping her dead in her tracks. Arnold didn't notice her, but Helga simply watched as he crossed her path. Phoebe waved a hand in front of her best friend's face. "Are you sure...?"

Helga quickly gave her head a shake, then scowled at the giggling Phoebe.

"Let's go – we wouldn't want to sully your perfect attendance record," remarked Helga drily. Together they entered their homeroom class just as the morning bell rang.


	2. Chapter 1

**Sailor Helga: SGR**

_Part 1_

_Note:_

_For the sake of clarity, whenever a character is in their transformed state, their name will be given in italics._

_For example:_

Helga G. Pataki = Helga

Sailor Moon = _Helga_

"Well, come on now. Lemme see it," goaded the diminutive Mrs. Smith.

"Yeah," replied the equally diminutive Mr. Smith. "Let's see how it looks on you."

The two adults sat patiently next to each other on the loveseat within their living room. Down the hallway, the door to the bathroom opened, and out emerged their pride and joy, their daughter Patty Smith (known infamously to the kids around the playground as Big Patty). Slowly she walked to the centre of the living room, her eyes downcast to the linoleum carpet.

"Don't you look precious...?" cooed Mrs. Smith, clapping her hands together. "What a perfect little outfit!"

"So? What do you think?" asked Mr. Smith.

Patty cautioned a glance at herself in the mirror hanging on the wall within the living room. Rather than wearing her favorite blue-themed ensemble of sweater and plaid skirt, she was instead dressed in a white-and-brown blouse with brown sailor collar trimming and matching brown skirt. Her blue hair bow had been swapped for a hairtie, and her tiny ponytail sat atop her head pitifully. She looked away, back at the carpet.

"I hate it," replied Patty, succinctly.

"But your Grandma Mosey made it especially for you! It's the same kind of school uniform your grandmother wore when she was a young girl in school!" said Mrs. Smith.

"Do I really have to wear this...?" bemoaned Patty.

"We promised Mosey that you would," explained Mr. Smith, as-a-matter-of-factly. "Just for one day, then if you still decide that you hate it, we'll send it back. Sound fair?"

Patty bit her upper lip. "Alright. Just this once. For Grandma Mosey."

"Atta girl!" clapped Mr. Smith.

* * *

><p>Patty cringed as she recalled the conversation from earlier. In hindsight, she regretted her decision to wear the outfit in public.<p>

Since kindergarten, Patty Smith had always been ostracized because of her size. Even as an 8th grader, where she assumed that everyone else's growth spurts would even out the playing field, Patty still felt like the odd man out. As a result, she had few friends. She knew that wearing her grandmother's old school uniform would do little for her popularity, or lack thereof. But she decided to grit her teeth and bear it.

"After all," she said to herself while walking down the hallway of P.S. 118. "It's only for one day. What's the worst that could happen?"

Patty opened her locker and was met with a deluge of green lime gelatin. The other students in the hallway bore witness to the incident and responded by pointing and laughing.

"A-ha!" yelled Helga, as she appeared from around the corner, only to go a deathly pallor of white.

Patty turned and indignantly stared down the hapless sixth grader, marching after her down the hall. Helga was forced to walk backwards away from her, not daring to turn her back on the menacing behemoth.

"Did you do this?" asked Patty, in her calm voice that did little to convey the sheer rage and desire she felt to beat Helga to a bloody pulp.

"I-It was an accident! I thought your locker belonged to someone else, I swear!" Helga cowered underneath the water fountain. Patty lifted her fist in preparation to strike, but paused when the school bell ring. The fist turned into a threatening finger, pointed dangerously close to Helga's nose.

"I'll deal with you later, after school," promised Patty, her finger sharply jabbing Helga's nose once before she turned and stormed off.

Phoebe quickly came to her best friend's aid. "Helga, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I guess," muttered Helga. "I thought you said 696 was Rhonda's locker number?"

"No, you read it wrong – I said 969," corrected Phoebe. "And I also counseled against playing a prank on her. Now Patty has a vendetta on your head!"

"Relax," assured Helga, dusting herself off as she stood. "I've dealt with Big Patty in the past. Remember when I told those jokes behind her back in the 4th grade?"

"Yes, precisely my point," said Phoebe. "You were pummeled unmercifully."

"What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, Phoebes," Helga replied, unwilling to reveal what had actually transpired in that deserted gymnasium two years prior. Yes, Patty _was_ going to beat her up on that fateful day, but at the last second had a change of heart, thanks to Arnold's quick-thinking diplomacy. Personally, Helga felt no animosity towards Big Patty, but for whatever reason, she always found herself in the middle of some grave misunderstanding that consistently left her with a black-eye and a fat lip. "Besides, I know how to outsmart ol' Patty..."

* * *

><p>It was the end of the day and the students were filing out of class. As the students were putting away their things, Sheena and Eugene were going around the class and talking to each of them. When they got to Rhonda she was looking at herself in a vanity mirror, inspecting her hair for any stray flyaways.<p>

"How are you, Rhonda?" asked the ever-cheerful Sheena.

"Make it quick, please," Rhonda said, unwilling to tear herself away from her own reflection. Eugene handed her a sheet a paper, which she looked at disdainfully. "What is this?"

"It's a flyer," responded Eugene. "Mrs. Ryle's a widow that lost her kitten. Sheena and I are combing the area look for it; we thought that you might be interested in helping us."

"There's a cash reward..." enticed Sheena, but the promise of money fell on the spoiled, deaf ears of Rhonda, who simply waved them off.

"Pass...I've got better things to do than search for a flea-bitten hairball machine..." Rhonda then proceeded to file her nails, and Sheena and Eugene walked away.

"Psst! Hey Phoebes!" whispered Helga as Phoebe walked by her desk.

"What is it, Helga? Are we still going to your house after school?"

Helga quickly shook her head. "No, scratch that. Patty knows where I live; she'll just follow me home and pound me into the ground. What we're going to do is go to the Park."

"Oh," said Phoebe. "Okay, but…why the Park?"

Helga brandished the flyer. "I want to try and find this lost cat. I swear I saw one just like this lurking about the other day, and I can use the extra dough. So are you in or are you out?"

"Well...I suppose that I can transpose to the Park for a brief while..."

"That's what I want to hear. Now let's hurry so we can pick up some supplies."

And so, with Phoebe as her guide – since her view was obscured by the obscene amount of cat toys she was carrying – Helga walked down the paved path of City Park.

"How much do you suppose that old bat is paying, anyway...?" wondered Helga.

"Say, isn't that Lila talking with Arnold?" said Phoebe.

"WHAT?" Helga dropped all of her items onto the ground. "Where?"

Phoebe pointed farther down the paved path to where Arnold and Lila were standing and conversing. Helga was livid; she grabbed her best friend and dragged her into a nearby bush so that she could continue to spy inconspicuously.

"I thought Arnold was over her," Helga said aloud, to herself.

"Perhaps they're just conversing, Helga..." but Phoebe's reassuring words did nothing to belay the anger and disappointment she could see in Helga's eyes and in her hand-wringing.

"...What's Miss Perfect got that I don't got...?" she muttered bitterly.

"Helga, maybe we should go-"

"NO! We're staying right here. I want to see what this is about."

"This is absurd. You can't even hear what they're saying!"

"So? Maybe I can read lips! Now pipe down!"

* * *

><p>Lila brushed her bright red, shoulder-length hair away from her face, and wiped a tear from her eyes with her black t-shirt. "Really, you don't have to do this, Arnold..."<p>

"But I want to," retorted Arnold, holding Lila's hand within his own and giving it a reassuring pat. "You're going through a tough time right now, and I just want to help..."

"That's ever-so-kind of you, Arnold," Lila began. "But I just don't think I could live with myself if I accepted your handouts."

"But Lila..."

"Thank you, we'll be fine," Lila forced herself to smile for Arnold's sake. "Once Daddy finds a steady, decent-paying job that he can keep, we'll be alright…things should get better."

"Okay, well...if you need anything, anything at all, you know where to reach me."

Lila nodded and departed, but not before planting a quick kiss of appreciation on his cheek.

"Thank you ever-so-much, Arnold," she said as she turned and made her way home.

Meanwhile, Helga was attempting to make out the nature of the conversation, only to have her suspicions seemingly confirmed following the kiss.

"I think they're talking about alligators and...cans of beans...SHE KISSED HIM!" Helga stood up and was prepared to storm out of her hiding place, had it not been for Phoebe holding her back.

"Helga, calm down!" Phoebe cried. "You're acting hysterical!"

"I don't care – I'm going down there right now!" But instead she was staved off by Phoebe, who desperately held onto her clothes. At last, Helga fell backwards and onto her back.

As she looked up, her eyes met with an angry set staring down at her in a green gelatin-stained ensemble.

"P-Patty! What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question," replied Patty, displaying minimal emotion in her voice. "Did you forget that we had a little business to take care of after school?"

"After school? O-oh yeah, after school!" Helga sat up. "Funny story about that, actually. I had forgotten that my Phys Ed. teacher assigned us fitness homework; she said we had to...to run around the park! Twice!"

"Funny," came a familiar voice. "I don't remember any Phys Ed. assignment..."

Helga looked past Big Patty and sure enough, there stood Rhonda and Nadine. Rhonda kept her hair the same length over the years, but now wore a red headband to compliment her red vest-black skirt ensemble. She looked at Helga smugly, causing Helga to scowl.

"I should've known you'd rat me out, _Rhonda-loid_!" said Helga.

Rhonda blew off the rebuff. "Well, what did you expect? I heard that you were planning to sabotage my brand new outfit. This is a direct import from France! Have you no shame?"

"Oh, give me a break. Crappy clothes are crappy clothes, no matter where the locale."

"Well, at least _I_ won't be struggling to get bloodstains out of my 'crappy clothes' for a week," retorted Rhonda slyly. "She's all yours, Patty."

Patty lifted Helga off her feet so that her legs were precariously dangling a few inches above the ground.

"I'm going to enjoy this," said Rhonda. "Nadine, get the camera ready. I want pictures for my blog."

* * *

><p>"Thurston! Thurston!"<p>

Sheena cupped her hands over her mouth and called as loud as her voice would allow. "Here, kitty kitty kitty!"

Both she and Eugene had also started their search for the missing feline at the City Park, but had so far come up empty.

Eugene inspected the MISSING flyer once again. "It says here that he also goes by the name "Cupcake" - maybe that will help."

"Good idea. CUPCAKE! HERE, CUPCAKE!"

The faint sound of mewing caught their ears. Both Sheena and Eugene turned around and were met with the feeble cries of a tiny brown cat with a cream-colored spot on its chest and bright blue eyes.

"Cupcake!" Cupcake (nee Thurston) approached Eugene and walked right into his outstretched arms. As he picked up the small cat, he looked at Sheena with glee. "I don't believe it. We did it, we did it!"

Sheena jumped up and down in excitement and Eugene did the same...at least until he tripped and fell flat on his back. Sheena caught the animal as it slipped out of Eugene's grasp and momentarily sailed through the air.

"...I'm okay," he muttered.

As she petted the cat, Sheena spotted something underneath Eugene's head. "Hey, what's that?"

"Huh?" Eugene sat up and inspected the item partially buried in the ground. It was a dark, sharp-looking item that seemed to be made of crystal. Eugene quickly dug out the item and looked at it with curiosity. "It looks like...a lamp?"

"Do you think it's worth something?" inquired Sheena.

"I don't know. Looks like this whole thing's made of glass..."

"I bet someone lost it here. We should look for the owner."

"Yeah!" agreed Eugene, excitedly. "And when we find the owner, maybe they'll give us an even bigger reward! We'll have enough money for a new dance studio in no time!"

"Things really seem to be going our way today!"

"I'll say! I wish that this lucky streak would never end!" As he said this, Eugene was rubbing the lamp, trying to remove some of the excess dirt. All of a sudden, a thick black cloud of smoke began to seep out from the opening of the black crystal lamp. Eugene was paralyzed with fear as the smoke encircled his body and consumed him, entrapping him inside a cocoon of dark haze.

* * *

><p>"Look, Patty, listen," Helga pleaded, still dangling above the ground. "You don't want to do this!"<p>

"Why not?" said Patty.

"Because...because..." Helga desperately searched her mind for a good excuse. "Because you're better than this! If you beat me up now, you'll just be perpetuating that horrible notion that you're just some brain-dead bully like the rest of them, and you don't want that!"

The thought had never crossed her mind before. Patty slightly lowered Helga and pondered for a moment.

"Don't let her trick you, Patty!" yelled Rhonda. "Remember what she called you in the fourth grade! Or did you forget: 'Fatty Patty'?"

Patty furrowed her brow and looked at Helga angrily. She _did_ forget. That did it – Patty raised her fist and prepared to strike...

There was a loud high-pitched wail, and the group of girls looked about with a start.

"What was that?" asked Nadine.

"Sounds like someone's in distress," deduced Phoebe.

"Maybe we should check it out..." said Patty.

"YES! Please do!" pleaded Helga, still bracing herself for the punch. But at last, Patty dropped her on the ground and followed other girls to find the source of the noise. Helga followed as well. Eventually they bumped into Sheena, who was still hysterically screaming and breathing very heavily, as if she had been running for a long time.

"Sheena!" cried Nadine.

"I...I was searching for a lost cat with Eugene," panted Sheena. "When...when we stumbled upon...and then..._it's got Eugene_!"

Sheena passed out.

"Sheena? Sheena! Wake up!" Nadine shook her classmate, but it garnered no reply.

"I think she said something about Eugene," said Rhonda.

"Yeah," added Helga. "But where is the little jinx? Probably got himself into an even bigger mess. What do you suppose happened?"

Nadine rubbed her chin introspectively. "I dunno...but whatever it was, it practically sucked the life out of Sheena."

Helga looked at Phoebe, who in turn looked back, the same thought had crept into their minds. Could it be...?

"Uh, listen..." said Helga, edging away from the group. "I think I'm going to go...check out and see if Eugene's okay..."

"Me too," said Phoebe, who followed Helga.

They were met with perplexed stares from Nadine and Patty, but neither of them impeded their departure. This made Rhonda upset. "Hey! Are you just going to let them make a break for it? I'm going after them. Honestly…!" And with that she chased after Phoebe and Helga.

When the three girls were alone, Rhonda placed a hand on Helga's shoulder. "And where do you think _you're_ going?"

Helga angrily shrugged off Rhonda's touch. "Save it, princess - this is serious." She then turned to her best friend. "You thinking what I'm thinking...?"

Phoebe nodded. "It's highly probable."

"What is?" asked a confused Rhonda. Suddenly her eyes widened as she realized what the others were talking about. "You don't suppose…?"

"Oh, I suppose alright," Helga said quickly.

"There's just no way...!" remarked Rhonda. "I thought we were done with this mess when the school exploded! It's been, what, two years – why hasn't anything happened since?"

"I don't know," said Phoebe. "But the signs are all conducive of an attack..."

"Well, we better get to the bottom of this," said Helga, who continued to lead the way.

The three girls reached an area of the park where they found Eugene standing by himself, facing away from them. They looked at each other, then Helga slowly approached the boy.

"Hey Eugene! Yo!" called out Helga.

Eugene turned to face the girls. Something was not right. His skin was an eerie shade of grey, and his eyes were red. On his face was a twisted, malevolent grin, and he laughed at the trio menacingly.

"Eugene...?" repeated Rhonda, this time with a twinge of uncertainty.

A purple-black flame engulfed Eugene then quickly extinguished to reveal him in new attire. Gone were his white shirt and blue shorts; instead he was adorned in a white and purple jester outfit with matching hat. His right eye was adorned with a painted black star.

"Man…do I hate being right..." groaned Helga. She looked over her shoulder at the others. "You guys ready?"

Phoebe adjusted her glasses and Rhonda brandished her hand with the ruby ring. Both nodded in conviction.

"Alright then..." Helga gripped her chest, closed her eyes and sighed. "Here we go again..._**MOON PRISM POWER, MAKE-UP!**__"_

"_**MARS POWER, MAKE-UP!**__"_

"_**MERCURY POWER, MAKE-UP!**__"_

In an instant the civilians Helga, Phoebe, and Rhonda had vanished, transforming for the first time in two years into their sailor senshi counterparts, Sailor Moon, Sailor Mercury, and Sailor Mars, respectively. Together they took up their fighting stance against the transformed Eugene.

"SO did not want to get out of retirement for this!" _Helga_ charged Jester-Eugene at full speed. Suddenly, _Helga_ was stopped abruptly, as if she had run into to a brick wall. She was then propelled back several yards away.

"What the heck?" she said. _Helga_ charged a second time, and once again she was propelled backwards, only this time she was thrown to the ground, rolling.

"_**Fire Soul!**_" _Rhonda_ launched a stream of flames toward the jester, but rather than hit its target, the flames were halted by the same mysterious barrier that had stopped _Helga_, and simply extinguished.

"You've got to be kidding me..."

_Phoebe_ squeezed her earbud and a blue visor appeared across her eyes. After scanning the situation for several seconds, she frowned. "This doesn't look good," she said. "I'm getting a reading of a probability barrier surrounding Eugene."

"English, please?" asked _Rhonda_.

"Well, in layman's terms, anything we throw at him within a 10-foot radius will have a 0.00001% chance of hitting him."

_Helga_ rolled her eyes. "Fantastic."

"What are we supposed to do?" asked _Rhonda_, frustrated.

"I dunno..." admitted _Helga_, also frustrated. "I'm thinking, all right?"

"I wish Luna was here...We've never had to fight without her before."

She was right; without the constant council of their female feline companion, the team was somewhat lost against this new, formidable opponent.

"Oh!" remarked Phoebe. All of a sudden, her visor had vanished and she transformed out of her sailor attire and back into her regular clothes. At the same time, Rhonda's sailor suit had vanished and she went back to her regular clothes as well.

"What happened?" asked a perplexed Rhonda.

"I don't know," said Phoebe. "But this definitely isn't good…"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Patty and Nadine were still sitting around the unconscious Sheena. At last Sheena began to come to, and slowly tried to sit up. "C-cupcake..." she mumbled.<p>

Patty face scrunched up. "What did she say?"

"I think that's the name of the cat she and Eugene were searching for," explained Nadine. "They were going to find it and return it to its owner for the reward money."

"But I lost it..." sighed Sheena.

There came the sound of light mewing from the bushes. For a brief instant, the silhouette of a tail could be seen flicking from the bushes before promptly vanishing.

"That's Cupcake! I've got to go after her!" But as Sheena tried to stand up she simply wobbled a bit before stumbling back to the ground.

"You're still too weak," reprimanded Nadine.

"Maybe you can go after her..." suggested Sheena.

"I'll do it," volunteered Patty. "You stay here – I'll be right back." And with that she went to pursue the runaway feline.

Patty was led far away from Sheena and Nadine, to a more secluded area of the park.

"Mew..."

Patty looked up and spotted a cat in the tree, looking down at her patiently. Patty spit in her palms, rubbed them together, and then literally tackled the tree, slowly ascending upwards on the trunk.

The cat made no move to flee as Patty grabbed the branch on which it was resting and carefully lifted herself onto it. Slowly, she scooched herself towards the cat, who casually went about licking its paws.

Patty extended a hand for the scruff of the cat's neck. "Easy does it. I got ya."

Patty grabbed Cupcake and then jumped off the tree towards the ground below. She placed her free hand on her back and stretched. "That was simple enough…"

Patty heard the light mewing again, only it wasn't coming from Cupcake. She turned around and saw a tiny grey kitten, about the same size as Cupcake, nuzzling against her leg. Patty smiled. "Hey there – are you lost, too? Want me to help you find your owner?"

But as she went to pet the grey cat, she froze when she spotted the odd-shaped marking on its forehead, resembling a crescent moon.

"Actually, Miss Patty, it would appear that I have found you!" remarked the grey cat.

* * *

><p>"Listen…" said <em>Helga<em> to Rhonda and Phoebe at her side. "I don't want you guys to get hurt. Get out of here while you still can."

"Are you kidding?" scoffed Rhonda. "And leave you to fight this thing all by yourself? Uh-uh – we're staying put."

"You guys don't stand a chance without your powers!"

"But we're a team," remarked Phoebe. "And powers or no powers, we're sticking with you to the end."

"You guys…" _Helga_ was touched. She quickly regained her composure and focused back on the task at hand. "All right, then. I'll try to move in for an attack. I want you girls to distract him."

"Right," said Rhonda and Phoebe. _Helga_ darted dead ahead towards Jester-Eugene, while Rhonda and Phoebe attempted to ambush him from the sides.

The jester pulled out a deck of cards seemingly out of nowhere, bent them in his hand, and allowed them to splay out in a fashion set for 52-card pickup. Except that, rather than falling harmlessly on the ground, the cards sailed out in erratic patterns, their corners sharp, deadly projectiles. _Helga_, Rhonda, and Phoebe had ducked out of the way effortlessly, dodging the cards at the last second.

_Helga_ went in for the blow; she raised her fist and prepared to strike. Unfortunately, the Jester-Eugene had a literal trump card; he pulled out an ace-of-spades card and threw it at point-blank range at Helga. It hit its mark, and not only was Helga knocked back, she was entrapped within a giant spade-shaped barrier.

_Helga_ banged on the spade-barrier with all her might, but to no avail. Meanwhile, Rhonda and Phoebe were still trying to catch their breath from their evasive maneuvers - they were defenseless, powerless, and open to attack.

Jester-Eugene was preparing to strike again, when he saw something sail overhead. A dark figure in a tuxedo, cape and top hat, and a football-shaped head landed on the very top of the spade-barrier and faced his opponent.

_Helga_ looked up at the newcomer with wide-eyed realization. "I-it's you!"

The masked boy pulled out two roses; one was red and speckled with black stars, the other was blue and speckled with white stars. "Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars – catch!"

He threw the roses at the two girls, which hovered in front of their faces. He then jumped down to the ground to be face-to-face with _Helga_ within the barrier.

"Arnold…" she placed both hands on the wall of the barrier and looked at him earnestly.

The masked boy smiled and winked at her. "You've lead strong team, Sailor Moon. Don't give up yet."

_Helga_ leaned in and closed her eyes, planting her lips on the barrier for a kiss. But when she opened her eyes again, the masked boy had vanished as soon as he appeared.

Suddenly, the roses the masked boy had given Rhonda and Phoebe began to glow, and they each transformed into henshin pens. When they grabbed onto the pens they were suddenly transformed back into senshi.

"Whoa," said _Rhonda_.

"Amazing," said _Phoebe_.

"All right!" cheered _Helga_. "We are back in business!"

_Phoebe_ activated her visor once again and scanned the barrier that contained _Helga_. She then pointed to the apex at the very top where the masked boy was previously standing. "There," she said. "That's the weak point."

"_**Fire Soul!**_" _Rhonda_ directed a line of flames towards the apex and it spiraled down, engulfing the entire perimeter of the barrier before shattering it completely.

"Ha! Still got it!" _Rhonda_ said, proudly.

The three girls turned their attention back on Jester-Eugene.

The jester said nothing, merely cackling as he sent another barrage of playing card in the scouts' direction; this time a group of kings, queens, and jacks. As they approached the scouts, they grew in size and pointed their sharp-suited weapons menacingly.

"_**SUPREME THUNDER!**_"

The cards were vaporized instantly. The jester looked around for the culprit, as did the girls. Standing on a hill within the park, several metres from where the others were standing, was a girl in a green sailor senshi uniform. Her hair was styled in a warrior braid. Across her cheek she wore a scar. (Her whole tough-girl aura was almost humorously offset by the blue bow atop her head). The mysterious newcomer clenched both of her hands in a fist and stared challengingly at the enemy.

"Who the heck is THAT?" asked _Rhonda_.

_Helga_ squinted her eyes in an attempt to get a better look, then slapped her hand on her forehead. "Criminy…" she exclaimed. "Not ANOTHER one…!"

The green senshi held her ground. She crossed her arms around her chest and as she did so, an antenna grew from her tiara. The sky directly above suddenly gathered with dark clouds, and as an electric charge grew from above, the tiara had conducted a bolt of lightning that was directly targetted for the cards.

"_**SUPREME THUNDER!**_"

The lightning continued to strike, going for Eugene and hitting the barrier around him. The jester-Eugene wiped his forehead with his hand out of relief, but then suddenly fell backwards to the ground.

_Phoebe_ gasped as she got an interesting reading on her visor. "The barrier – it's gone!"

_Rhonda_ looked at _Phoebe_. "It's gone? Are you sure?"

_Phoebe _nodded. "Positive. In fact, when the lightning struck the ground adjacent to Eugene, it somehow caused a polarity effect which totally reversed the range of the probability force field. Now all the bad luck has been turned inward upon Eugene himself!"

"Heh. Some things never change." _Helga _made a motion for her tiara. "Time to finish this. MOON TIARA MAG-"

"WAIT! STOP!" cried a tiny voice. Suddenly, the tiny grey kitten had appeared in the open and ran towards the scouts. "You mustn't use your tiara!"

"Luna?" said _Rhonda_ in disbelief.

"That's not Luna, that's some other talking cat," corrected _Helga_. "And I can't believe I actually said that."

"Please, do not use your tiara!" pleaded the cat. "Doing so will harm the person inside the monster! The tiara is meant for destruction – what you need is a tool for healing!"

_Helga_ blinked. "A tool for...healing?"

"Yes! Allow me, miss!" And with that, the grey cat flipped high into the air; at the peak of her jump materialized an item. The item was wand-shaped and adorned with a large yellow crescent-moon shaped jewel. _Helga_ grabbed the device.

"This is the Moon Wand – use it to heal the boy. Just say "Moon Healing Escalation",

"Uh…okay," _Helga_ turned to face the jester-Eugene. She then held the moon wand high above her head and spun it in a wide circumference from the ground back to its starting point above her head.

"_**MOON HEALING ESCALATION!**_" A bright beam of light shone from the wand and went straight for the jester. Suddenly, the jester apparel was no more and all that remained was a frazzled Eugene, kneeling on the ground.

"I'm okay…" he muttered before passing out completely.

"We did it!" cheered _Helga_.

All three girls jumped in the air to give each other a high-five.

"We did it! We did it!" repeated the little cat, jumping up and down in excitement to the bemusement of the girls. Only when she noticed the stares did she stop.

_Helga_ looked at the cat. "Thanks for your help and all but…_what the heck is going on?_"

"I'd like to know too."

The three scouts had almost forgotten about the fourth sailor scout on the hill, who was now standing before them. Both _Helga_ and _Phoebe's_ jaws had dropped in surprise. _Rhonda_, oblivious to her teammates' reactions, simply scrutinized this new person briefly with her eyes before giving her a thumbs up.

"Nice boots," she said.

* * *

><p>"Thank you so much for finding my kitty!" said the gracious Ms. Ryle.<p>

Patty handed the brown and white cat back to its owner in front of its house. "You're welcome." She said. With a free hand, Ms. Ryle reached into her dress pocket and pulled out a small coin purse. When she had opened it, Patty raised her hands in protest. "Oh, no…it's okay. Really."

"I insist," said Ms Ryle firmly, not taking no for an answer. "Cupc—er, Thurston is the only friend I have in the world. Bringing him back means more to me than you can ever imagine. Take the reward money."

And with that she shoved a couple large paper bills into Patty's hand and closed her fist. Patty nodded and wished the elderly woman well before descending down the stairs and back onto the sidewalk. She looked at the money and frowned, wondering if she had made a mistake accepting payment. Perhaps it would be a nice gesture if she offered the money to someone else…

As luck would happen, Patty spotted Sheena and Eugene across the street, both with morose looks on their faces.

"I can't believe we lost Cupcake…" muttered Eugene.

"It wasn't meant to be, I guess…" replied Sheena. "And anyway, it's no big deal. We still found that lamp."

"Actually…" said Eugene, sheepishly. "I kinda lost it after the attack. Are you mad at me?"

Sheena shook her head and smiled. "I'm just glad that you're okay, Eugene."

Eugene blushed and looked down. "Heh…well…I'm _always_ okay…but I'm glad to see that you're alright, too…"

Sheena blushed in response.

This brief moment of reverie was cut short when Patty crossed the street to talk to them.

"Hey, Patty," said Sheena. "Thank you again for your help. I'm sorry for all the trouble that we caused."

"It was no trouble at all," replied Patty, who then held out her hand containing the money. "Listen, I found the cat and brought it back to the old widow-lady. You can take the reward money."

Sheena looked at the money with surprise, then both she and Eugene looked at each other with wide-eyed interest before looking at Patty with some degree of hesitance. "Are you sure?"

"Positive," said Patty. "I wasn't even looking for the cat. Besides...I think I found something a bit more interesting."

Patty handed Sheena the reward money, and as she walked away she could hear the two best friends laughing giddily and dancing for joy. She smiled, proud that she was able to do a small act of kindness.

But there was still that _other_ thing of interest.

When Patty had turned the corner, she dug her hand in her skirt pocket and pulled out a green pen-shaped object. As she looked at it, she turned it over several times in her hand.

Patty stopped and turned her attention straight ahead. Standing before her were three sixth-grade girls, and in front of them stood the talking grey cat.

"Okay…" sighed Patty, brandishing the pen in front of her audience. "Mind telling me what this is all about?"

The grey cat approached Patty and grinned. "Gladly."

_End of Part 1! _


	3. Chapter 2

_Part 2_

_Note:_

_For the sake of clarity, whenever a character is in their transformed state, their name will be given in italics._

_For example:_

Helga G. Pataki = Helga

Sailor Moon = _Helga_

The girls had secretly congregated in the treehouse resting atop Mighty Pete. It had been ages since any of them had set foot in the little wooden structure; nowadays its usual tenants were the current string of fourth-graders throughout the city, and most of the original users had outgrown playing in treehouses some time around the fifth grade.

Helga, Phoebe, and Rhonda sat cross-legged in the middle of the treehouse, the grey cat sitting in the middle. Patty stood by the open window, looking out over the city.

"So…do you like, know Luna or something?" asked Helga.

"Yes! Luna is my mother! My name is Diana - I'm so glad to have finally found you girls!" exclaimed Diana in her cheerful demeanor.

"No offense, but the feeling's not exactly mutual," quipped Helga.

"Yeah," added Rhonda. "I thought we were done with this whole sailor business."

"We sent your mother back home nearly two years ago," explained Phoebe, adjusting her glasses. "She was convinced we had eradicated the source of the negative energy. So why are you here?"

Diana blinked. "Two years? Has really been that long?" She shook her head forlornly. "Then we have already wasted too much time..."

"What are you talking about?" asked Rhonda.

"My mother and I are from the future, yes, but for some reason we were not sent to this time period at the same time. There was a terrible catastrophe that had sent us here, but my travel must have been delayed."

"What kind of catastrophe?" inquired Phoebe.

"All I know for certain is that a horrible struggle had broken out in my time period. My master, the princess of Neo-Tokyo, mysteriously vanished, and the Crystal was lost."

"Luna never mentioned that," commented Rhonda.

"Yeah..." mused Helga. "She didn't mention a lot of things. She couldn't even remember why she was here."

"That is unfortunate," sighed Diana. "I am convinced that if we were returned to this point in time, then the crystal must be hidden somewhere within this city."

"Diana, what is 'the crystal'?" asked Phoebe.

"_Ginzuishou_: the Imperium Silver Crystal. It is a very powerful relic from the Moon Kingdom. For it to be lost is a very serious matter. With no crystal present in the 30th century, there is a good chance of no Neo-Tokyo, no home at all to which my mother may return."

"Then...where _is_ Luna?" asked Helga, a little concerned. "Did we send her into that?"

"That is a possibility…but it is an unlikely one. Sailor Pluto would have intercepted her travel. "

"Sailor what-now?"

"Sailor Pluto – she is the guardian of time and space. Everything involving time-travel would have to pass through her. She is the one who advised me to awaken a team of interim senshi in order to retrieve the crystal. I can already see that mother has awakened the three of you, so I only had to concern myself with seeking out Miss Patty."

"What do you mean 'awakened'?" pressed Rhonda.

Once again, Diana sighed. "Oh dear...so Mother didn't realize _that_ either..."

"Realized what?" asked Phoebe.

"Again, travelling through time so forcefully may have attributed to my mother's loss of memory. She may have thought she granted you your powers serendipitously, but in actuality you were meant to possess your abilities."

"Hold the phone. So...you mean were destined to this?" asked Helga.

"That is correct!" chirped Diana.

Rhonda placed a hand on their forehead. "Whoa...that's a little heavy to take in..."

"But Diana," explained Phoebe. "Our powers were finite. You saw what had happened to Rhonda and me – we transformed back because our devices had exhausted their powers."

"That is true," retorted Diana. "But that is only because my mother had given your powers from her own cosmic energy. "The pens you hold now contain your true planetary power."

Phoebe and Rhonda pulled out their respective pens to look at them. Helga made a face. "Hey, why don't I get one?"

"Your powers will not run out," explained Diana. "My mother derives her powers from the moon, miss Helga, so its source remains infinite in your device."

"But how did Arn—er, how did that masked tuxedo boy know that? How did he get a hold of the pens?"

"That…I do not know. Admittedly there are many small mysteries that require solving, though I am confident that, as a team, we will be able to resolve them all."

Suddenly, the three girls and cat turned to look at Patty, who had been silent during the entire conversation, and was making her way for the exit.

"Patty, where are you going?" asked Rhonda.

"Home," replied Patty.

"But, we still have so much to discuss…" Phoebe tried to explain, but Patty had already disappeared into the hole in the treehouse's floor.

"Leave her," advised Helga. "She must be as confused as we are, and this is only her first day."

Patty climbed down from the treehouse to the sidewalk below. She looked out into the street, then at the henshin device in her hand. As she walked her mind ran like crazy. All her life she wanted to be able to fit in, and now that she was thrusted into some crazy team...it just didn't feel like a right fit. She decided that, for the time being, she would keep her distance from the others.

Unbeknownst to Patty, however, Diana would not let her out of her sight, at least not so easily. After the meeting had adjourned, she followed the young girl home, in hopes that she may change her mind.

* * *

><p>The next day, Helga strutted confidently down the hallway of P.S. 118, much to the bemusement of Phoebe.<p>

Helga sighed contentedly. "Isn't this great, Pheebs?"

Pheobe looked at Helga and blinked with curiosity. "What do you mean, Helga?"

"Well, I mean, it sucks that we have to do this whole "save the world routine" over again, but at least this time we've got some firepower. You're the brains and I'm the leader, and Rhonda's the...necessary third wheel, but finally we've got some muscle behind our team, thanks to Big Patty!"

"Actually, Helga..." corrected Phoebe.

"There she is now – hey Patty!" Helga waved and ran over to the behemoth eighth-grader, only to be met with blows, punches, and subsequently tossed into a nearby trashcan. The nearby students laughed and continued on with their business, hurrying to class before the bell rang.

Phoebe helped Helga out of the trashbin. "Are you alright, Helga?"

Helga picked the scraps of paper out of her hair and nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. But what's up with Patty?"

"I was just about to say, that I'm not sure Patty is fully receptive to her new role as a sailor senshi."

"Criminy...now you tell me," Helga rolled her eyes. She turned around and was face-to-face once again with Big Patty. She braced herself for another fight, but instead Patty simple brushed away the pencil shavings on her shirt. "Uh...thanks...?"

"I'm sorry I had to do that," explained Patty. "But we still have to keep up appearances. We may be a team, but as far as everyone else is concerned, you and I are still mortal enemies."

"Right...I forgot about that," realized Helga. "I guess it makes sense that you should still pummel me then..."

"So, are you on board then?" asked Phoebe.

"This is still really weird...but I do want to help. Just let me do it at my own pace."

Helga and Phoebe nodded their agreement. "Anyway, I'd better get going. See you later."

Big Patty sauntered off.

"Just great," spat Helga. "Just what we need right now: a scout on standby."

"Just give her time, Helga," reassured Phoebe. "I'm sure that when she's more comfortable with the responsibility, we'll be able to rely on her, and you can stop worrying about any physical altercations."

"Yeah, I'm sure she'll come around eventually. It's not like you and I are difficult to get along with."

* * *

><p>"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I NEVER LISTEN TO YOU?" yelled Rhonda indignantly.<p>

"You know, sometimes you can be a real selfish...!" yelled Nadine right back.

After school, Helga and Phoebe and a group of other students watched with heightened interest as best friends Nadine and Rhonda quibbled over something in front of P.S. 118. This was actually a typical sight; in the fourth-grade Arnold was forced to resolve a disagreement over a class project, and in the fifth-grade blows were almost exchanged over a disagreement on what to wear to the end-of-the-year dance. This was their most heated argument yet, as neither looked as though she would back down.

"Rhonda, you promised that you would help me do this!" pleaded Nadine.

"You never said anything about wading knee-deep in the mud! I have my boundaries!"

"But Rhonda, the swamp near City Lake is the only place I can find this beetle! And the mating season is almost over! I need two sets of hands to help me out, or I'll never be able to find it!"

"Absolutely not!" and with that Rhonda folded her arms defiantly.

"Fine! Don't help me then! In fact, don't ever talk to me again! I'm not your best friend anymore!"

"Did you say something to me? I totally blocked out your squawking..."

Enraged, Nadine let out a frustrated shriek and stormed off, insect-catching net in hand. Rhonda stuck her tongue out as her ex-best friend walked away. At last the students cautioned descending the steps of the school, and Helga and Phoebe were the first to approach Rhonda.

"What was THAT all about?" asked Helga.

Rhonda sighed in disgust. "Never mind. Nothing important."

* * *

><p>Patty walked home alone, as usual. When she got to the entrance of her home, she knocked on the door so that her parents would let her in. At that very moment, Diana appeared before her feet.<p>

"Hello, Miss Patty!" sang Diana.

"What are you doing here?" said Patty in a hushed voice. She picked up the grey cat and gave it a stern look. "You've got to get out of here before someone sees…!"

The front door opened.

* * *

><p>"That Nadine thinks she knows everything..." said Rhonda, as-a-matter-of-factly. "She's just impossible to deal with sometimes."<p>

"Uh-huh..." murmured Helga. The three girls were walking home together; Rhonda flanked by Helga and Phoebe. Coincidentally, each of their houses were on the same route, so even though that had not intended to walk home together – Rhonda and Helga in particular – they decided that for the time being they would tolerate each other's company, especially since Rhonda needed a body to hear her rant and rave about her ex-best friend.

From what Helga had surmised from the tirade, Rhonda and Nadine's annual fight this time culminated around Rhonda agreeing to assist Nadine as she hunted down a rare South African beetle that made its home in the swamplands of Hillwood for her science project. But Rhonda had balked at the last minute, citing "creative differences".

"And...by creative differences, you're talking about your brand new leather shoes...?" repeated Helga in mock disbelief. "How dare she, huh?"

"These shoes are essentially a work of art, and it would be a sacrilege to get them muddied. Nadine should have known better than to plan her little nature excursion on a Wednesday, she _knows_ that's when I wear my imported shoes.

"I hate to say it, Rhonda," commented Phoebe. "But don't you feel your actions toward Nadine were just a slight…inconsiderate?"

"WHAT? Don't make me laugh! I knew I shouldn't have told you guys anything! I just knew you would somehow spin this around to make me out to be the bad guy! I'll go tell my troubles to Lila, at least SHE'LL be supportive!" And with that, Rhonda crossed the street to talk to the unsuspecting red-head.

"This could all be resolved if Rhonda simply says sorry to Nadine," sighed Phoebe.

"Yeah...too bad "sorry" is not in her vocabulary," quipped Helga.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the swamps of the City Lake, Nadine was busy trying to catch the rare South African beetle for her science project.<p>

"Who needs Rhonda anyway?" Nadine said to herself, bitterly She spotted a yellow and black speckled beetle resting on the leaf of a nearby plant. Slowly she inched towards her target, lifting the net in preparation to strike. Just as she was about to drop it, a nearby frog hooped in front of her and croaked loudly, startling poor Nadine and causing her to fall backwards into the muddy water. The frog then hopped away.

Nadine groaned. "I wish Rhonda was here...or at least that I had a better way to do this..."

"Sidney! Siiiiiiidney…" Nadine turned and saw fellow classmate Sid, whistling as he carefully scanned the water for something. "Si—oh, hey Nadine. What brings you out here?"

Sid helped Nadine to her feet. "Bug-catching, the usual. Why are you here?"

"Just taking Sidney out for a little fresh air," explained Sid. "He…uh, he kinda got away from me and now I'm trying to find him."

"I just saw him. Need any help?"

"Nah, he never goes too far. But maybe I'll give you a hand afterward – ol' Sidney's a natural at finding bugs."

"Really? Oh, thank you, Sid! That means a lot to me!"

Sid smiled and left as he continued his search for his pet frog. When he was out of sight, Nadine sighed. A brief glimmer of light caught her eye. Just a few feet from where she was standing, she spotted something dark protruding out of the water. Nadine crawled over to the object and pulled it out from being submerged in the water. It was the black crystal lamp.

Several minutes later, Sid returned, frog in hand.

"Okay, I'm back!" called Sid, who then realized that Nadine was nowhere to be found. "Uh…Nadine?"

Sid heard a quiet splash behind him. He turned his head slowly, Eyes wide with terror at what he saw, Sid then let out his trademark high-pitched shriek.

* * *

><p>"Oh, how cute...!" gushed Patty's mother at the sight of Diana cradled in her daughter's arms. "She's just a darling! Where did you find her, dear?"<p>

"At the animal shelter," lied Patty. She handed the cat over to her mother, who proceeded to pet her profusely. Diana purred in content.

"Well, we certainly don't mind you keeping a pett," commented Mr. Smith. "We've always said that a little companion would be good for you. Just make sure that she's properly cared for."

"Don't worry, Dad, I will." Diana leapt out of Mrs. Smith's arms and followed Patty as she made her way to her bedroom. Only when the door was closed to her room did Diana dare open her mouth to speak.

"You have a very nice family, Miss Patty!" said Diana.

"Thanks," said Patty, sitting on her bed. "But you don't have to call me 'Miss Patty'. Just 'Patty' is fine."

"Yes, 'Miss Patty'!" said Diana, involuntarily. She walked around the room, gazing about the walls. It was a small bedroom, quite cozy, actually. There were pictures of her mother and father hanging on the walls, as well as numerous items she crafted from her sewing: throw pillows, stuffed animals, blankets, etc. Several trophies which showcased her many talents and hobbies lined the top of her dresser.

"Did you make those, Miss Patty?" inquired Diana, her eyes flickering on the stuffed black cat resting on the bed.

Patty picked the stuffed cat and smiled, admiring her handiwork. "Yeah, I did."

"You are very talented!" praised Diana. "I'm sure you must have a lot of friends!"

Patty sobered and placed the stuffed cat back on the bed. "Yeah, sure..." she replied, distantly. She decided to change the subject. "So...I've never took care of a cat before. Do I have to feed you mice or something?"

Diana laughed. "Not likely! The day I eat mice is the day I start talking with a British accent!"

Patty chuckled along with her. Suddenly, Diana stopped laughing and became very serious, her body tensing and her fur bristling.

Patty was concerned. "Hey. What's the matter?"

Diana looked up at Patty, her big red eyes wide with fearful conviction. "_Youma_!"

* * *

><p>"Nadine is so stupid!" Rhonda said vehemently to the patient Lila. "She only bothered to FINALLY change her hairstyle after I told her to in the fifth grade. She wore her hair in those spider-braids for years! No thank you...!"<p>

"I beg your pardon," interrupted Lila. "But I'm ever-so certain that your phone is ringing."

"Huh?" Sure enough, Rhonda stopped berating Nadine long enough to hear her cell phone ringtone. She flipped open the phone to read the text message she had just received from Helga: BIG TROUBLE.

Rhonda sighed. "Perfect. Listen Lila, I gotta go!" Rhonda ran down the block and turned the corner.

_Rhonda_ eventually found her way to the swamp – ironically, the one place she didn't want to be. There she met up with _Helga_ and _Phoebe_.

"Took you long enough," derided _Helga_.

"Whatever, I'm here, aren't I?" sighed _Rhonda_. "So what is it this time?"

"Word is that a monster's been spotted in the area," said _Phoebe_, warily.

"Yeah, Sid was looking for his pet frog when he ran into it," added _Helga_.

_Rhonda_ rolled her eyes. "Really? Your eyewitness is Sid? You know that boy has an overactive imagination."

"Just the same, let's split up and see if we can find it," said _Helga_. The other two girls nodded and they separated to find the monster.

As _Rhonda_ walked through the muddy area, she complained profusely. "This is so LAME...I could be getting a french manicure right now, but nooo..."

Suddenly _Rhonda_ stepped into something that caused her shoe to become stuck fast in place. She pulled harder but found that she was unable to free her right foot. She then realized that she couldn't move her other leg as well, or her arms for that matter! Before she realized what was happening, _Rhonda_ was stuck in some kind of invisible mesh that held her in place.

"Uh, you guys...I'm kinda stuck here..." yelled out the apprehensive _Rhonda_. No response. "You guys...!" she said a little bit louder.

Still no response, though this time, she felt an ever-so-slight vibration coming from her invisible trap. _Rhonda_ struggled even more, and out of the corner of her eye, she could make out what looked to be thousands upon thousands of threads of silk. It was almost as if she was caught in a spider's web…

Suddenly, something dropped from the sky to the ground below. It was a girl - or, at least, it looked like a girl. The torso appeared human (save for its three sets of arms), but the head was actually some sort mass of glowing red eyes, sharp fangs and tendrils. A weird sort of mucous substance oozed from the creatures head and from its feeler-like hair. _Rhonda_ let out a bloodcurdling scream.

At last, _Rhonda_ had gotten the attention of _Helga_ and _Phoebe_, who stopped their search to come to her aid immediately. When they arrived at the scene, the spider-creature's tendrils were practically tickling _Rhonda's_ face (though she obviously wasn't laughing).

"Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew, ew...!" squealed a horrified _Rhonda_. "Somebody kill it! Squish it, please!"

"With pleasure!" complied _Helga_, eager to strike.

"No, don't!" warned _Phoebe_, scanning the makeup of the creature with her visor.

"Why not? It's just an overgrown spider!"

"That's no spider, _Helga_ – it's Nadine! She's somehow been transformed into that monster!"

_Rhonda_ was aghast. "NADINE?" Never in a million years did she expect this. That is to say, she was still very much upset with the girl, but not even she would wish such a foul and grotesque appearance upon anyone. Without thinking, she blurted out: "What happened? You look horrid!"

The Nadine-spider hissed menacingly at _Rhonda_, shutting her up.

"Well, I better put an end to this," said _Helga_, patting her person for the necessary item. "Where's that moon wand?"

As _Helga_ pulled it out, the Nadine-spider did a backflip leap to where she was standing and promptly kicked it out of her hand. Then, before she could react, the Nadine-spider spat out a noxious substance right into _Helga's_ face.

"AAH! My eyes! I can't see!" _Helga_ walked around blindly as _Phoebe_ tried to steady her. Meanwhile, the transformed Nadine had taken a deep breath and had excreted a large glob of web that exploded by them, paralyzing them in a complicated mesh that was suspended by the trees.

"_**FIRE SOUL**_!"

The entire area around _Rhonda_ became emblazoned in flames as the attack travelled across the strands of webbed silk, finally releasing her.

"Stop being a brat, Nadine!" she scolded, as if to lecture her friend. The Nadine-spider charged after her; _Rhonda_ pulled out her compact and flashed it in her face, subsequently blinding her. "Not so nice, is it? Now to change you back..."

_Rhonda_ made her way to the moon wand floating listlessly in a shallow puddle, but spider-Nadine tackled her to the ground and hissed, drooling on her for added measure.

"Ugh!" _Rhonda_ pushed her off and crawled for the wand, but Nadine-spider leapt for it, standing directly over the item.

"_**FIRE SOUL!**_" _Rhonda_ pointed her finger directly at the creature, and the spider-Nadine was knocked several yards back, lying lifeless in the water. _Rhonda_ stood up, breathing heavily. "You...made me do that...Nadine...!"

But mere seconds later, Spider-Nadine bounced back onto her feet, and hissed once more. "What's the matter with you?"

The Nadine-spider charged for _Rhonda_ once more, but was then knocked hard to the side by a bolt of lightning. Rhonda looked to her left just in time to see _Patty_ join the fray.

"Thanks, Patty," said a relieved _Rhonda_; even if she was fighting with her friend, she was not at all willing to hit her with another flame attack.

"Where are the others?" asked _Patty_, handing her the moon-wand. _Rhonda_ pointed to the area where _Helga_ and _Phoebe_ were still stuck, though they both made a solid-go at trying to escape from the confines of their webbed prison.

"Alright – you get them down from that tree, I'll deal with that spider-thing."

"Wait!...Be careful...go easy on her..." pleaded _Rhonda_, reluctantly. She then went to free her other teammates. "Don't worry, I'll get you down from there. _**FIRE SOU-**_"

"**NO!** What are you, crazy?" screamed _Helga_. "You wanna barbecue us? Think of another way to get us down. One with less third degree burns!"

There were several quick flashes of red light. Suddenly, both _Helga_ and _Phoebe_ fell to the ground with a splash. _Helga_ spit a stream of water from her mouth and looked begrudgingly towards _Rhonda_. "Nice going, princess."

"It wasn't me, you guys," said _Rhonda_ motioning to the quickly retreating figure in the shadows. Helga noticed several rose petals floating on the shallow water's surface.

"You don't think…?" she began, as _Phoebe_ helped her to her feet. When they were freed, the three of them stopped and watched as _Patty_ fought the spider-girl.

"It would appear that Patty has finally decided to join our little club," concluded _Phoebe_.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" snapped _Rhonda_ heatedly, thrusting the moon wand in _Helga's_ hands. "Change her back!"

_Helga_ retrieved the moon wand, wiped off the mud, and frowned. "You see how fast she's moving right now? There's no way I'll hit her with this. It's best to wait for _Patty_ to soften her up a bit, then she should slow down."

_Rhonda_ watched uneasily as _Patty_ grabbed the spider-Nadine by the tendrils (formerly her hair), spun her around in the air like a shotput, and brought her back down to the ground with a body slam.

She shook her head in protest. "Stop it! Stop it! Oh, this is all my fault! If only I had kept my promise and helped Nadine, I could've stopped this from happening. Nadine! I'm sorry!"

The spider-Nadine froze in midstance attack. _Patty_, however, was still going for her, to deliver a devastating punch.

"Yo!" called _Helga_. "Hold your fire!"

_Patty_ ceased her warpath and unclenched her fist. _Rhonda_ approached the creature, which was now standing in place and looking down at the ground. "Did you hear me, Nadine? I said I was sorry. You were right and I was wrong. I've been a real lousy person to you. Can you ever forgive me?"

The creature looked up at _Rhonda_, and for the first time, her eyes were no longer fully red, and a shred of humanity had returned. "Thank you, Rhonda," she said, in a foreign, dark voice that still held traces of the person trapped inside. "That's all I wanted to hear."

"Friends?" asked _Rhonda_.

The spider-Nadine nodded; the two friends finally reconciled with a hug.

"Now's your chance!" advised _Phoebe_.

_Helga_ lifted her moon wand and aimed it the Nadine-Spider. "_**MOON HEALING ESCALATION!**_"

There was a bright, glowing light surrounding Rhonda and Nadine; by the time the two had separated from their hug, Nadine was changed back to normal, and all the spider webs had dissipated.

* * *

><p>"So...you're a...sailor senshi?" Nadine sat with her best friend in the water, waiting for another bug to appear. "Sounds pretty important."<p>

"Yeah...odd huh? Bet you never expected me to look out for anyone but myself?"

"Let's just say, you wouldn't be my first choice," mused Nadine, quickly lowering her net, but missing her mark so that the target flew away. "But it sounds like fun, wish I could've been one..."

Rhonda smiled. "Yeah. I think you would've made a great scout. Hey, what's that on your sweater?"

Rhonda picked out an insect buried into the fabric of Nadine's sweater. "Is this what you were looking for all this time?"

Nadine covered her mouth with her hand. "Ugh...yes..."

"So why are you frowning...?"

"Because...I think I ate my share of those guys earlier..."

_End of Part 2!_


	4. Chapter 3

_Part 3_

_Note:_

_For the sake of clarity, whenever a character is in their transformed state, their name will be given in italics._

_For example:_

Helga G. Pataki = Helga

Sailor Moon = _Helga_

It was Saturday. Patty awoke in her bed to the sound of crying downstairs. Swiftly, she changed out of her pajamas and tip-toed downstairs to observe the situation.

There, she found her mother being consoled by her father in the living room. The house was in a state of disarray; furniture had been toppled over, and a window facing the main street had been smashed open.

"It's okay, sweetie..." reassured Mr. Smith, though his tone didn't convey the same message.

"What happened here?" Patty asked cautiously.

Mrs. Smith held her breath between sobs, just long enough to dab a handkerchief against her damp eyes. "We've been robbed, Patty...!" she finally blurted out, only to bury her head back into her comforting husband.

Patty's eyes widened in disbelief. "You're kidding."

"It must have happened in the middle of the night," determined Mr Smith. "I'm just surprised we hadn't heard anything. That burglar's lucky he didn't run into me, the coward...!"

"Did they steal anything valuable?" asked Patty.

"Well...they didn't take any of money, fortunately, but they did swipe..."

"THEY STOLE MY MOTHER'S HEIRLOOM!" cried Mrs. Smith, and she went back to bawling hysterically again.

"That's terrible. Mom, I'm so sorry."

"Well, the police will be here soon," advised Mr. Smith. "And mark my words, they'll find the guy responsible for this mess!"

"I hope so. I guess I'd better tidy up in here." Patty proceeded to pick up the broken pieces of a vase on the floor, then went to get a broom to sweep up the dirt. All the while, Diana watched diligently from the top of the steps.

* * *

><p>"...and that's how I won first place in the science fair," said Phoebe, concluding her story.<p>

"Wow, that's really cool, Phoebe," commented Gerald sincerely. "You're very smart."

Phoebe blushed at the compliment. "Thank you, Gerald."

They were both walking down the sidewalk together on a gloomy afternoon. Phoebe was on her way to Helga's house – she would later accompany her to Gerald Field for an upcoming baseball match – and had run into Gerald along the way. Throughout the years the two had remained very good friends, but had never progressed beyond that. Phoebe did have a slight crush on him, but had decided against acting on her feelings; after all, Gerald had displayed affection for quite a few other girls since the fourth grade. Top it off with the fact that he was considered one of the "cool" kids, and she knew for certain that pursing anything with Gerald would be a lost cause.

At last, they reached the Pataki household. Phoebe had turned to Gerald and smiled. "Well, good luck with your baseball game today."

"Thanks," said Gerald. "Hey, Phoebe..." he paused, and looked down at his sneakers, which he scuffed nonchalantly on the sidewalk. "I was wondering..."

"Yes...?" Phoebe looked at him with piqued interest.

Gerald continued: "I was wondering...if you're not doing anything tomorrow afternoon, maybe we could-"

"Hey! There he is! Gerald!" Sid and Harold had spotted their teammate from across the street and approached him, Harold patting him heartily on the back.

"Oh. Hey, you guys," said Gerald, still a little flustered.

"Yes, hello Harold. Hello, Sid." Phoebe said this rather curtly as she was certain they had just ruined an opportune moment. "Prepared for today's game?"

"Oh, you bet!" beamed Sid excitedly. "Those kids from P.S. 119 don't stand a chance!"

"Hey, what do you care anyway?" Harold asked crassly. "You don't play sports anyhow."

Phoebe bristled, then leered in annoyance at Harold. "I'm merely spectating at the event. Helga had invited me."

"Well, THAT figures...!" joked Sid, nudging Harold with his elbow. "Like you would ever set foot on a baseball diamond."

"Just what are you insinuating?"

"It means that you stink!" said Harold, bluntly. "Come on, Phoebe, we all know that the baseball would just bean you right in your glasses. And you've never caught a fly ball. You're like a...a..."

"Like dugout disaster!" pointed out Sid.

"Yeah! A dugout diaster! Good one, Sid!"

The two boys had laughed at Phoebe's expense and, to Phoebe's horror, Gerald began laughing as well.

"Gerald!"

"Well, it's true, Phoebe," admitted Gerald, between laughs. "I've tried teaching you in the past but…you _are_ really bad at baseball."

Phoebe's face flushed crimson red. Enraged, she shook her clenched fists at her side. "So...that's it? I'm just a big joke to you? My athletic shortcomings are a source of joviality to you?"

"Yeah...I mean, no, no!" Gerald said quickly. "Come on, Phoebe, we were just fooling around!"

"At my expense, no less!" cried Phoebe. "How could you be so boorish?"

"Aw gee, I'm sorry, Phoebe," Gerald went to put his arm around Phoebe's shoulder, but stopped midway when Harold and Sid began to jeer.

"Uh-oh, looks like Gerald is laying on the charm again," teased Sid.

"What? No, no! It's nothing like that. I don't...I mean...!"

But Gerald had already sealed his fate. Phoebe swatted his arm away and glared at him with unbridled vitriol.

Just then, Helga came out through the front door, carrying her baseball bat and pitcher's glove, and oblivious to the ensuing argument. "Well, I'm all set to whup some...!"

"You know what, Gerald,"You're a...a...a big fat jerk!"

And with that, Phoebe ran up the steps of Helga's house, entered through the open door, then slammed it shut. Everyone went silent. Helga looked at the stunned Harold and Sid, then at Gerald, whose jaw was hanging open and was dumbfounded at what just happened.

"Criminy...what did you clods say to her?"

"Gerald told Phoebe that she sucks at baseball!" informed Sid.

"What? You guys started it!"

"Yeah but what does Phoebe care if we laugh at her? She likes you, not us."

"But I didn't...!"

"All right, knock it off!" Helga intervened. "If you wanna carry on with this inane conversation, do it elsewhere and not in front of my front stoop. I'll meet you guys at the game, I just need to repair the damage that YOU made."

Helga turned around and re-entered her house. Harold and Sid mumbled something to one another before heading for Gerald Field. Gerald sighed and reluctantly followed them.

Helga looked at Phoebe, who was sitting on the floor, her back against the front door. She folded her arms and sighed disappointedly at her best friend. "Pheebs, you really need to develop a thicker skin..."

"It's not that, Helga..." Phoebe sighed. "It's just...well, it's complicated..."

Helga smirked. "Well, I doubt it's all THAT complicated. Look, I'm not the biggest fan of "tall-hair-boy" - and trust me, the feeling's mutual – but Gerald's not a bad guy. It's when he hangs out with those two chuckleheads that he acts like a jerk."

"But…he didn't even defend me..."

"Yeah, that was a real bonehead move on his part...tell you what: when I get the chance, I'll fire a foul ball right at him. Black eye central. What do you say?"

"I appreciate the sentiment, Helga" said Phoebe as she stood up. "But I think I may renege on attending the baseball game. I should really be studying for Monday's math test anyway."

"Alright, if that's what you want. I'll tell you all about it."

Phoebe nodded and exited Helga's house, then made her way home, sulking all the way.

* * *

><p>Normally, this type of thing wouldn't get to Phoebe. Being the meek individual that she was, she knew that she would have to be able to defend herself. Luckily she had Helga as her best friend, so she didn't have to worry about your basic bullies. And yet she took fencing not simply because she enjoyed it, but because she felt the skills she had acquired would become a necessity some day.<p>

But this was different. School wasn't a breeze for Phoebe as it originally was two years prior. Though she still made exceptional grades, she attributed that to her dedicated studying habits, otherwise she was starting to feel no more competent than any of her fellow classmates. Her 6th grade teacher, Mr Frank, was a rather deadpan character, and didn't nurture or praise her intelligent as did Mr. Simmons in the past, which she found very discouraging.

Most importantly, she was a sailor scout again. While she dutifully honored her role, she had to concede that it put a bit of a strain on her as a preteen. And, though she hated to admit it, she really did have feelings for Gerald. But now she was convinced more than ever that nothing would come of it.

Phoebe sat at her desk and scribbled nothing in particular on a sheet of lined paper, when the doorbell rang. When she answered the doorbell, she was surprised to see Helga, dirtied and bruised, and with a dour look on her face.

"Helga – this is unexpected. So how was your game?"

Helga spat bitterly. "We lost. By one measly point! I swear, if I could pound that umpire into the ground, I would!"

"I see. Would you like to come in?"

"Nah, I can't stay. Actually, I wanted to drop this off for you. It's a note from Geraldo."

Once again, Phoebe's face grew hot. "A note from Gerald?" she took the folded note and smiled.

"Yeah – listen, I couldn't get a clear shot at him, so if you'd like, just sock him one good and say it's from me."

"I don't think that will be necessary," said Phoebe.

"Suit yourself. I gotta go wash off the stench of defeat. Talk to you later." Helga waved and left for home.

Phoebe saw Helga off, but when she was out of sight, quickly went back inside to read the note. It was a brief letter, quickly scribbled with what was obviously Gerald's handwriting.

_Hey Phoebe,_

_I'm sorry I laughed at you. I'd like to talk to you alone after the game. Meet at Gerald Field tonight._

* * *

><p>Gerald paced back and forth nervously in the deserted Gerald Field. He felt terrible about embarrassing Phoebe. He really did care for her, but got caught up in the moment with Harold and Sid, and ended up offending the last person that he wanted to offend. True, he did hold a bit of a candle to some of the girls in older grades – most notably the girls that were now in the eighth grade – but he found that he had more in common with Phoebe than anyone else. Plus, she was really nice, and very smart…Gerald wasn't sure if she felt the same way.<p>

"I hope Helga gives her that note…" he said to himself. Someone had left their baseball. He took his bat and practiced his swing for a while. He hit the billboard atop one of the billboards and it tremoured for a few seconds before something dropped down to the ground. Gerald approached the object and poked at it with his bat before picking it up.

"Huh...looks kinda like a lamp..."

* * *

><p>Phoebe arrived at Gerald Field. The sky was overcast, and there was a slight wind; it looked as though it was going to rain.<p>

She hurried across the street and to what used to be just a vacant lot filled with filth and detritus, now a well-kept (though recently manhandled) baseball diamond.

"Gerald, I'm here!" she called out. She spotted Gerald at home plate, facing away from her. She figured that he didn't hear her, so she got closer.

"Gerald, did you want to talk to me about something...?"

But as Phoebe got closer, she noticed that something was not quite right. For some reason, Gerald was shirtless, and his skin was the unusual shade of grey. He turned around to face Phoebe, and she could see that his eyes were pupil-less, though she could tell he was staring menacingly at her.

"Gerald..." she whispered in disbelief. She then braced herself and got into a fighter's stance. "_**MERCURY POWER, MAKE-UP**_!"

After she had transformed into Sailor Mercury she yelled, "_**Shabon Spray!**_", and the entire lot was shrouded in a thick mist, obscuring the fight from any possible onlookers.

_Phoebe_ whipped out her cell phone and immediately dialed Helga's number. After three rings, Helga picked up.

"Hello?" she said from the other end.

"Helga, it's me," said _Phoebe_ anxiously, moving to and fro to keep the transformed Gerald off her tail. "I need your help. It's Gerald: he's...!"

"Let me guess: he's finally asked you out, didn't he? Took him long enough. Guess I won't have to tear him a new..."

"Forget about that!" screeched _Phoebe_, alarming Helga. "He's turned into some sort of monster, I'll need you and Rhonda to...AAH!" The phone had cut off, leaving Helga listening to the dial tone.

"Phoebe...? Phoebe!" Helga hung up the phone and quickly ran out of the house.

* * *

><p>Diana ears perked up, and she awoke from her nap. "Did you sense that?" she asked.<p>

Patty was busy sewing on her needlepoint, and looked at the cat curiously. "What?"

Diana stood up. "Something's not right. Someone is in grave danger."

"Are you sure?"

The hairs on Diana's back bristled and stood on end. "Positive. We have to go - now!"

Diana bolted for the door to Patty's bedroom. Concerned, Patty had no choice but to follow the panicked feline.

* * *

><p>"Hello? What is it, I'm kind of busy..." said Rhonda as she carefully tried to pick up the phone (she had just finished painting her nails and didn't want the polish to smear).<p>

_Helga_ was still running down the block, though now she was transformed to better handle the situation. "I just got off the phone with Phoebe. She's in real trouble. Turns out Gerald transformed into one of those monsters and attacked her. Get your butt down here now!"

"What? Where?"

Suddenly it occurred to _Helga_ that she had no idea where Phoebe was at the time. "I-I don't know...!"

"Well how could you not find out?"

"The phone cut out before she could tell me!"

"Well...call me back when you find out!" Rhonda hung up.

_Helga_ sighed in frustration. Her best friend was in trouble and she had no idea where to find her! But just as she was about to give up hope, she caught in the corner of her eye two fast-moving figures leaping from rooftop to rooftop overhead. It was Sailor Jupiter (_Patty_) and Diana.

"Hey!" _Helga_ yelled, waving her arms and trying to get their attention, but they were already moving out of sight. Suddenly, the masked boy dropped from the sky and stood before her, nearly knocking her to her feet.

"Sailor Moon…" said the boy. "What are you doing?"

Helga regained her composure and responded, "Trying to get their attention. My best friend's in danger, and I have no clue where she is. Do you mind? You're kinda in my way…"

But the masked boy would not budge, and simply shook his head. "You don't need their help. You have the power to find your friend. Just focus."

He then placed both hands on each of Helga's shoulders. "You have the power of the moon. You should be able to sense her. Concentrate."

_Helga_ nodded (using all of her willpower to prevent herself from blushing), then closed her eyes and blocked out any distractions as she attempted to sense Phoebe's location. After several seconds of silence, the orbs in _Helga's_ hair began to glow ever-so faintly, and she could very scarcely make out the sound of _Phoebe's_ voice in her head.

"_Let me go...please!_" pleaded the voice. The solid black in Helga's head slowly gave way and she could make out a very hazy image of what looked like a baseball diamond…not unlike the one where she had her match earlier in the day.

_Helga_ opened her eyes and gasped. "She's at Gerald Field!"

But she was talking to herself; as she was focusing on _Phoebe's_ location, the masked boy had disappeared.

_Helga_ had no time to speculate on his sudden departure. She whipped out her cell phone and called back Rhonda. "She's at Gerald Field! Hurry up and get over there!"

* * *

><p>Amazingly, all three scouts managed to make it to the vacant lot around the same time.<p>

"Where do you think Phoebe is at?" asked _Rhonda_.

"Look," _Patty_ pointed to a grotesque scene, becoming all the more visible in the dissipating haze. It was a transformed Gerald all right. But what they didn't expect to see was that _Phoebe_ would be stuck in his hair, which entangled her like a massive black sponge.

"Criminy," said _Helga_. "How the heck are we supposed to get her out of that?"

Gerald growled and slammed his fist on the ground, causing a fissure that made its way directly toward the team. _Patty_ and _Rhonda_ leaped out of the way, while _Helga_ simply fell to the ground.

"_**SUPREME THUNDER!**_" _Patty_ sent an electric attack toward the transformed Gerald.

"_**FIRE SOUL!**_" _Rhonda_ answered in kind by launching her own incendiary attack.

The Gerald monster held his ground, and simply outstretched his hands so that the attacks were absorbed into his skin.

The scouts looked on incredulously, apprehensive of what was to happen next.

For a while, nothing happened. Then, the transformed Gerald clasped his hands together. Suddenly, his hair was ablaze with both flames and electricity, and poor _Phoebe _was subjected to its power at full force. _Phoebe_ screamed as the others could only look on in horror..

_Helga_ was hysterical, her hands on her head in panic. "Geez! He's torturing her! Phoebe! Diana – quick! Hurry and think of something before he kills her!"

"He looks to be invulnerable to any external attacks, Miss Helga...!" said Diana, almost regrettably. "There's nothing we can do..."

"_Are you kidding?_" yelled Helga furiously. "_That's my best friend getting cooked right there! Do something, dammit!_"

_Patty_ and _Rhonda_ turned simultaneously to look at _Helga_, both surprised that she had swore. Frustrated, _Helga_ ripped off her tiara and prepared to launch an attack, convinced that she could give Gerald a much-need haircut.

"_**Moon Tiara Magic!**_" She threw the tiara directly at the monster-Gerald, but he simply re-directed his hair so that _Phoebe_ would receive the brunt of the attack.

"I mean, stop! STOP!" The tiara obeyed and boomeranged back to _Helga_. "Phoebe...you've got to find a way to fight it!"

At last, _Phoebe_ came back to life. "G-Gerald..." she said very weakly. She embraced her hairy tomb before being completely sucked in and engulfed. "My answer's yes."

Gerald grabbed his head and roared as though he was in pain. He kneeled to the ground as _Phoebe _finally slid out of his hair, unconscious.

"_**Moon Healing Escalation!**_" _Helga_ used the wand to heal Gerald, and the two lay unconscious next to each other in the dirty, dusty (and now damaged) Gerald Field.

* * *

><p>The sun had come out very briefly that day, but already it was about to set. Gerald and Phoebe sat together on a bench in the City Park to watch the sundown.<p>

"So..." Gerald said. "...You've got powers...?"

"For the time being...yes," responded Phoebe. "Not many people know. It's...confidential."

"I see," said Gerald. "And...you didn't just say those things to distract me, did you? You really...like me like me?"

Phoebe blushed. "That's correct. Are the feelings mutual?"

Now it was Gerald's to turn red. "Uh..yeah. I like you like you, too...this is so cool. My girlfriend's a superhero."

Phoebe smiled and Gerald smiled back, and the two held hands as they watched the sun set over the city.

_End of Part 3!_


	5. Chapter 4

_Part 4_

_Note:_

_For the sake of clarity, whenever a character is in their transformed state, their name will be given in italics._

_For example:_

Helga G. Pataki = Helga

Sailor Moon = _Helga_

Helga waited patiently at the corner of the block, behind a building. She looked down at her palms, sighed and waited. Waited until...

"Oof!" Arnold bumped square into Helga as he turned the corner, falling right to the ground.

"Watch where you're going, football-head!" scolded Helga, angrily. Arnold dusted himself off, annoyed.

"Sorry," he said as he got up and continued on his way. Helga decided to follow him.

"So, where are you off to?"

"I just had to pick up something for Grandma and Grandpa," replied Arnold guardedly.

"Oh, so I guess you're the errand boy for today," Helga mused. "What an exciting life you live, football-head..."

"Is there something you wanted from me, Helga?" Arnold asked.

"Nah, I just wanted to bug you for a bit," she teased. "It's a free country, isn't it? I should be able to harass anyone I please,"

"Yeah, I guess," Arnold muttered, dejectedly. "I just don't know why it always has to be me..."

"Because you...are such an easy target," as she said this, Helga had taken Arnold into a headlock and gave him a noogie. "Anyway, I gotta run. Have fun with your errands."

And just as soon as she had appeared, Helga ran off. Arnold looked on, perplexed, then shrugged his shoulders and continued to walk; he was unaware that Helga had literally snatched the hat off his head.

Helga waited until she was safely out of the view of prying eyes before taking Arnold's hat to her nose, inhaling deeply, and then letting out a shuddering sigh of contentment.

"What are you doing, Miss Helga?" Helga almost leapt out of her skin when she heard the voice, belonging to Diana.

"Geez! You're worse than Luna with that!" snapped an alarmed Helga, her heart pumping a thousand miles per hour. "Where did you come from anyway?"

"Why did you steal that boy's hat? That wasn't very nice, Miss Helga..."

"So what? I'll give it back to him before he figures it out. I always do."

"Ooh...I see! You must have a secret crush on him, is that it?"

Helga rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I guess you could say something like that..."

"How romantic! And does he like you back?"

Helga looked up at the sky, still gripping Arnold's tiny blue hat between her fingers.

"Well?" pressed Diana.

Helga snapped out her trance and gave the cat a sour look. "Hey, why do you always have to ask so many stupid questions?" she walked off, towards the boarding house, where she would hand off the hat to one of Arnold's grandparents, but make them swear not to tell that she was the one who returned it.

* * *

><p>The scouts had their first official meeting the next day, at Patty's house. They had gathered themselves in a circle, with Diana sitting in the middle as the unofficial mediator.<p>

Diana cleared her throat and began: "As you all know, a mysterious force has been terrorizing this city. Allegedly, it has been transforming unsuspecting civilians into ferocious creatures. Correct?"

The scouts nodded in agreement.

Diana continued: "As you also are aware, we are on a mission to recover an important artifact from my time period in the 30th Century: the Imperium Silver Crystal. It is most imperative that we retrieve the artifact as soon as possible, or cause irreparable damage to the present timeline."

"Is there a point to this little recap?" asked Helga unenthusiastically.

"Helga, shush!" reprimanded Phoebe. Helga stuck out her tongue in retaliation.

"Actually, I was just leading up to my point. During our last battle with the evil forces, I caught a glimpse of the catalyst responsible for these recent attacks."

"And?" said Rhonda.

"Well..." Diana hesitated slightly, unsure of how to go on. "I felt an unmistakable aura emanating from the object before it disappeared."

Helga raised her eyebrow. "Meaning...?"

Diana bowed her head. "Meaning...I suspect the evil we are fighting, and the object we are searching for...they're not mutually exclusive. They are one in the same."

The room went silent for a moment as everyone pondered that possibility. Finally Patty spoke up. "Diana...what does that mean?"

"I'm not sure," admitted Diana. "This is the last thing I ever would have expected. Something must have happened to the Crystal to corrupt its power. Only...I can't remember an instance when that would have occurred. Something bad must have taken place in the future to cause this change..."

"So, does this development alter the course of our mission?" asked Phoebe.

Diana shook her head. "Not dramatically, though it is something to consider. Above all else, we must get the Crystal back. Then later, we can concern ourselves with why it has become a dark source of power."

Rhonda sighed dramatically. "This is all very interesting, Di, but I propose we move on to discuss another pressing matter."

Diana blinked, intrigued. "Yes, Miss Rhonda?"

Rhonda stood with a sense of grandeur and purpose. "Well, I got this info offhand from Mary in homeroom, but she's pretty reliable...MOST of the time. Anyway...there's a rumor going around that Arnold and Lila are an item again...!

Diana was perplexed. "I'm sorry, Miss Rhonda, but what does that have to do with...?"

"WHAT?" Helga stood up in incensed rage. Everyone else turned to look at Helga, who sheepishly sat back down. "I-I mean...it's probably just a dumb rumour. Besides, didn't the football-head and Miss Perfect try that in the 4th grade and it didn't work out? They're just friends!"

"Maybe...but lately I've seen the two of them hanging out A LOT. I think there's something going on...anyway, why are you so concerned? It's not like you like Arnold or anything..."

Patty coughed and Phoebe bit her lip, but neither said anything, avoiding Helga's gaze.

Helga turned bright red. "I'm not concerned, I just..._Idon'...!_"

Rhonda stared intently at Helga for several seconds, then her face lit up. "You DO like Arnold." She said this more as a fact than as a question.

"What? NO!" Helga denied vehemently, her cheeks growing redder with every passing second.

"Oh dear," sighed Diana, realizing that the meeting had just lost its focus.

"Oh my gosh – I can't believe I hadn't caught on sooner..." mused Rhonda, as if she was having an epiphany. "You're always bugging Arnold...you claim that you hate him, and yet you've always hung around him...oh my _gosh_! Helga!"

"No! Shut up, Princess! Or I'll pound you into the ground!" But Helga's threats fell on deaf ears as Rhonda started to giggle uncontrollably.

"So tell me, Helga – does Arnold know?"

"I DON'T HAVE A CRUSH ON ARNOLD!"

"Sure, sure you don't!"

Helga growled in frustration and began to chase Rhonda around the room, while the others sat silently.

"Um...meeting adjourned," stated Diana.

* * *

><p>The bell had just rung as Helga and Phoebe entered the classroom. Helga gasped in horror as she spotted Rhonda hovering around Arnold, who was seated at his own desk.<p>

"Crap...!" muttered Helga under her breath.

"So tell me, Arnold," Rhonda began coyly. "What do you think of Helga?"

"What do I think of her?" repeated Arnold, confused. He shuffled and tapped a pile of papers on his desk as he spoke. "She's okay, I guess...she gets on my nerves sometimes..."

"Uh-huh...but what do you REALLY think of her?"

"Huh?"

"Well, I just thought you'd be interested to know that Helga G. Pataki-"

Rhonda was pushed aside as Helga took her place and had thrust a menacing finger in Arnold's face. "...that I'd rather be dragged by my hair tied to a pack of rabid mongooses than be partners with _you_ for the civics project!"

"Whatever you say, Helga," replied Arnold, actually sounding a bit bored with the predictable nature of her threats.

"Take your seats, please," said Mr. Frank, the 6th grade teacher. "I'm going to assign you all partners for the project."

"Assign? Lame!" complained Sid. "Can't we just pick who we want to work with?"

"Yeah," added Gerald. "That's so unfair!"

"Unfair? Welcome to my life." The class groaned as the teacher shook around a bucket containing slips of paper with the students' names. "Arnold, you're first."

Arnold sighed, but stood up and walked to the front of the class to pull a name out of the bucket. Meanwhile, despite her earlier protests, Helga had her fingers secretly crossed in her lap.

"Please, please, please...!" she begged in her head.

Arnold retrieved a single slip, looked at the name, and frowned. "Great. I got Helga."

Some of the boys in the class jeered at Arnold's poor luck, but inside Helga was doing cartwheels. She had to temper her excitement with a very vocal scoff, however, lest Rhonda was attempting to gauge her reaction.

* * *

><p>"So what's the plan for tonight?" asked Helga of her best friend as they made their way home.<p>

"Well," said Phoebe. I'd really like to get started on the project. I also still need to study for our test tomorrow and..."

Phoebe was abruptly cut short as Helga grasped onto her arm. "Helga? What is it?"

Helga said nothing, instead stood and stared in horror; across the street from where they were walking, Lila had accompanied Arnold inside the boarding house.

"Helga, please don't jump to conclusions...!" pleaded Phoebe, but Helga had already left her friend's side and was walking towards Sunset Arms.

"Rumour, my foot," she muttered. "I'm getting to the bottom of this right now..."

"Thanks ever so much for inviting me over, Arnold," said Lila, as she took a seat on the loveseat in the living room.

"Oh, no problem," said Arnold. "It's the least I could do to help. Hang on, I'll get us something to drink." Arnold disappeared into the kitchen.

As Lila sat quietly on the loveseat, there was a knock at the door. "Grandpa must be back from his errands!" yelled Arnold from the other room. Could you let him in, please?"

Lila stood up and went to the door. She looked through the peephole, and her eyes widened in surprise. "Uh, Arnold...?"

Suddenly the door flew open as Helga let herself in. At that same moment, Arnold had exited the kitchen with a Yahoo! Soda in each hand...and promptly dropping both when he caught sight of his uninvited guest. "Helga?"

"Hey, football-head – how's it hanging?" Helga nodded to Lila as she made her way to the living room and plopped herself on the loveseat. "Just thought we should get a headstart on the project, you know?"

Arnold looked downward; a puddle of Yahoo! Soda was quickly spreading across the floor. "Uh...I'll be right back..."

"Could you bring some chips while you're at it? I'm starving!" Helga reclined on the entire length of the loveseat as Arnold went in search of a mop. Lila sat on one of the arms of the loveseat.

"Um...how are you, Helga?" asked Lila.

"Oh, I'm fine – just peachy...but what about you?" asked Helga, who sat up to look at the timid redhead. "Didn't expect to see you here...so are you and the football-head…ya know…?"

Lila became flustered, avoiding Helga's gaze. "I can assure you that we're not..."

"Is that so? See, I'm just trying to understand why the two of you have been hanging out so much lately...care to share that?" Helga's question had taken on a bit of an aggressive twinge that caught Lila's attention.

"I...I'm ever so certain that that's none of your business," Lila said defensively.

"Look, something's going on between you two, I know it!" accused Helga.

At this point Abner had appeared and began to lick the chocolate soda off the floor. Arnold re-appeared with the mop. "Shoo, Abner shoo!" he said, and his pet pig scurried away. Arnold then noticed that Lila was walking towards the front door. "Hey, what's going on?"

"I'm sorry, Arnold – something's come up and I must be going. I'll talk to you tomorrow." Lila left; Arnold put an accusing glare on Helga, who was still on the loveseat.

"All right Helga, what did you do?"

"Hey, I didn't do anything!"

"Oh, come off it – we both know you've never liked Lila."

And it was true. Ever since the unfortunate incident in the 4th grade when Helga had left the writing on the wall that "Arnold Loves Lila", there had been an unspoken distrust that Helga held for her. Even when she vehemently denied ever liking Arnold, Helga was always fearful that one day Lila would have a change of heart and she would lose her chance of being with Arnold.

"Why do you always have to butt into things?" snapped Arnold. "Why can't you just…leave me alone?"

Helga's heart sank; to that, Helga had no witty retort, no comeback. Rather, she simply stood up and walked toward the exit.

Immediately, Arnold felt guilty for his outburst. "Helga, wait…!"

"Go take a hike, football-face," Helga said resentfully as she made her way to the front door. However, when she opened it, she nearly bumped into Arnold's Grandpa Phil, whose arms were filled to the brim with paper bags.

"Whoo! It was swamped at the grocery store today, Shortman!" exclaimed Grandpa. "You shoulda seen the price on the saltwater taffy – I practically cleaned out their whole supply!"

"Here, let me give you a hand with that, Grandpa," offered Arnold. Helga stood aside at the doorway as Arnold took some of the bags out of Grandpa's hands. When he got a closer look at the contents of each bag, he frowned. "Uh, Grandpa…what exactly did you buy at the grocery store?"

"Oh, just some donuts, a cherry pie, some bubble gum ice cream, a case of rootbeer, a box of chocolates, some saltwater taffy, a bag of licorice, and these _hilarious_ X-ray specs from the checkout aisle!" He put on a pair of ridiculous looking glasses with red and white swirls for the lenses, then laughed.

Arnold sighed. "Grandpa, I thought you were picking up essentials. Did you even bother to read the list?"

"Aw, lighten up, Shortman!" Grandpa walked over to the couch and sat down, then threw his grandson a can. "Here, have a root beer!"

He then noticed Helga standing uncomfortably near the door. "Who's your little friend? She staying for supper?"

"Actually I was just about to get going…" said Helga.

"Not so fast!" Everyone looked up, towards the steps leading to the second floor of the boarding house. Arnold's Grandma came down, sliding on the banister, then leapt off just a few feet in front of Helga. "I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I'm Mary, Queen of Scots. And you are...?"

"Uh…Helga. Helga Pataki," she replied, as the elderly woman shook her hand furiously.

"Helen of Troy, is it? Why, what a pleasant surprise!"

Grandpa placed a hand to his face. "Oh, Pookie…"

"You simply must join us for dinner!" insisted Grandma.

As Helga tried to talk herself out of an awkward situation, Arnold felt something nudge him on the leg. He looked down to see Abner at his feet, a ball in his mouth. He set the ball down and looked up at Arnold imploringly.

Arnold shook his head. "Not now, boy," he said. Disappointed, Abner trotted away into the kitchen, towards the backyard.

At that very moment, a couple of the boarders descended down the stairs, engrossed in a heated debate.

"…and I'm telling you, Kokoshka, that a pound of feathers does NOT weigh more than a pound of lead!" yelled Ernie.

"But what if the feathers came from a really fat bird?" asked Oskar Kokoshka. "Or perhaps an ostrich?"

"Oy…" remarked Ernie, slapping his hand to his forehead. He then caught sight of Helga conversing with Grandma, and his demeanor changed to that of a sly grin. "Hey, hey – will you get a load of that? Looks like Arnold's got himself a little girlfriend!"

"What? With Helga?" retorted Arnold, but he failed to convince the short boarder.

At last, Helga pried her hand away from Grandma's grip. "It was nice meeting you. And I appreciate the invitation to stay, but I _really_ should be going."

Helga made her way to the front door once again, but this time when she opened it, Mr. Hynnh was standing on the outside, nearly startling her. He grinned broadly at Helga.

"Oh, hello!" said Mr. Hynnh. "You must be one of Arnold's little friends. Pleased to meet you!"

"Way to go, Arnold!" exclaimed Ernie, wrapping an arm around the boy's shoulder. "I always knew you had it in you!"

"What a man you've become, Arnold," added Mr. Kokoshka, standing on Arnold's other side. "Twelve years old, and already you have the girls chasing you. You are a real Casanova!"

"So, uh, Arnold," began Ernie as he stood next to him. "How long have you two been going out?"

Arnold was beyond embarrassed. "What? You've got it all wrong…"

Just before the situation in the living room could get anymore out of control, a loud, high-pitched scream had reverberated throughout the boarding house, getting everyone's attention. Immediately the group cut through the kitchen and made their way to the open door leading to the backyard. Outside, it became apparent that the scream had come from Suzie Kokoshka, who was trembling with fear while clutching a red bedsheet.

"Suzie baby, what's wrong?" asked Mr. Kokoshka.

Suzie Kokoshka pointed a terrified finger at something in the middle of the yard. It was then that Helga's stomach churned.

There stood Abner, who looked like he was in pain, digging his hooves into the earth. Several feet from him, laying on the ground, was the crystal black lamp.

"Oh no..." said Helga.

Abner let out a final squeal before the ground underneath him gave way, and its little body contorted, mutating into some bizarre humanoid pig creature, almost like a were-boar.

"Criminy...not here..." muttered Helga under her breath. "All right – Moon Prism-!"

"Mama Leone, wouldja look at that!" Grandpa was behind Helga and pointing at the transformed Abner. Helga turned and looked to see even more boarders watching the spectacle from their windows.

Helga cursed under her breath; there was no way she could transform with all these witnesses! She struggled to think of a backup plan when...

"Abner!" Concern overtook Arnold's face as he saw his former pet struggling with its new grotesque form. He made a move towards the pig-monster, but the boarders held him back."

"No, Arnold, don't do it!" cried Oskar.

"Don't be a hero, kid!" warned Ernie.

"Abner's my best friend – he needs me," insisted Arnold, and he ignored their protests as he continued towards the creature.

"Arnold…" pleaded Helga.

Mr. Hynnh covered his face with his sweater. "It's so very creepy!"

Arnold approached the pig-monster, which didn't move but trained its eyes solely on its target. When Arnold was just a few inches away, he held out his hand for the creature's head; the pig-monster vehemently resisted, and growled menacingly at his owner, forcing Arnold to step back. He turned to look at Suzie, who was still standing in the same spot, still clutching the bedsheet. Suddenly he had an idea.

"Mrs. Kokoshka, mind if I borrow this?" Arnold waved the large, red cloth in front of the monster, which snorted and attacked not unlike a bull. The monster charged past the Arnold, circled the yard and charged again.

This time the Arnold grabbed Abner by the tusks and held his ground to slow the beast. The two stared down each other until finally Abner knelt to the ground and snorted complacently.

"It's okay, boy…it's okay…" reassured Arnold.

Arnold petted the beast, resting his cheek on its massive snout. In an instant, the monster began to glow, and when it re-materialized, it had changed back into the harmless pig.

Arnold took the red cloth and wrapped it around Abner, bundling him up like a newborn baby, as the boarders and his grandparents clamoured around him excitedly.

Helga did not stay to congratulate his efforts; she left promptly amidst the commotion.

* * *

><p>It was late afternoon. Helga stood at the bridge overlooking the water. She was deep in thought, and staring at her reflection in the river. She sighed; if ever she needed proof that Arnold was indeed her "masked savior", then today's events more that confirmed it. The main question now was: How? Why?<p>

Helga pulled out her locket and stared at her beloved's face longingly. "Oh, my love…we're on the same side, fighting to right the same wrongs. Why must you insist on going it alone? How I long to fight beside you…why won't you reveal your secret to me…?"

"I knew it…"

Helga gulped; someone had heard her soliloquy. How could she be so careless! Very slowly, she turned her head to face her mystery audience, and was horrified to see the person standing behind her was none other than Rhonda.

But rather than wearing her usual smirk of smug satisfaction, she actually looked a bit pensive. Helga wasn't sure what to make of her expression, so she continued to look out at the water. After a few seconds, she saw Rhonda's head added to the reflection; she had taken the spot beside her on the bridge.

"So," Helga said flatly. "The cat's finally out of the bag. Bet you can't wait to tell everyone that Helga G. Pataki has a soft spot for the football-head."

Rhonda shook her head. "I'm not going to tell anyone, Helga."

This caught Helga off-guard. She looked at Rhonda in genuine surprise, but her eyes were fixed on the fast-moving current of the river. Helga's expression then changed from that of shock to creeping suspicion. "What's your angle?"

Rhonda briefly chuckled. "There is no angle. I just feel there are some things that are better left undisturbed. Plus…I know you. I blab and you'd never let me wear designer label clothing to school again."

Helga smiled. "Smart move, princess."

They stood in silence for a few minutes before Rhonda finally spoke again. "So…you think Arnold's the masked guy that's been following us around?"

"It has to be. I mean…it's seems pretty obvious…right…?"

"Well, I don't know. I mean, I've never really seen him up close…"

"You tell me how many other football-headed lotharios exist in this city."

"Okay, okay…you've made your point. But assuming he is who we think he is…why wouldn't he just TELL us? What's the big secret?"

Helga turned around so that her back was against the railing, her body facing the bridge. She looked up at the early evening sky, a melange of orange, purples and reds, and gritted her teeth.

"I don't know," she said simply, quietly clenching her fists in determination. "But I intend to find out."

_End of Part 4!_


	6. Chapter 5

_Part 5_

_Note: For the sake of clarity, whenever a character is in their transformed state, their name will be given in italics._

_For example:_

Helga G. Pataki = Helga

Sailor Moon = _Helga_

It was early evening. Arnold was in his room, sitting at his computer desk and doing his homework. He was just about to ponder the third problem of his math assignment, when he detected the faint sound of tapping from up above.

Arnold tensed. He was aware of the recent string of burglaries happening within the city – one of them, in fact, had taken place right in his neighborhood – but so far none of the victims had ever confronted the culprit. Maybe the burglar was getting more daring?

Whatever the case, Arnold wasn't about to take any chances. He stealthily grabbed the baseball bat leaning against the side of his computer desk, then scaled the foothold on his angled wall leading to the windowed section of his ceiling.

The tapping persisted, and he could scarcely make out the outline of a body in the dark on the other side. Gripping the bat tightly, Arnold pushed open the window; almost immediately, someone had jumped through the opening straight into his room. This caught Arnold off-guard, and he lost his footing and fell to the ground below.

Arnold groaned as he lay on his back in the center of the floor. Slowly he opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a young girl staring back at him, her blonde pigtailed hair so long that it was actually touching his face as she looked down at him.

The girl shook her head and smirked. "Swept off your feet again, huh? We've got to stop meeting like this."

* * *

><p>Arnold and <em>Helga<em> sat together on the roof of Sunset Arms. It was an exceptionally clear night, and a few stars dotted the sky to keep the full moon company.

Arnold looked to his companion. "It's been awhile," he said.

_Helga_ nodded in agreement. "I know. Too long."

"I've missed you, Sera."

For a brief second, _Helga_ was confused that he called her by that name, then she remembered that was the alias she had given him when they had first met two years prior. She had rescued him from a gelatinous monster and brought him back home in the hopes that she could uncover his secret identity. Perhaps this time, thought _Helga_, her endeavor would prove more fruitful…

"So what have you been up to?" _Helga_ snapped back to reality when she realized she felt Arnold's inquiring eyes on her. She looked away tentatively.

"Oh…you know…" she mused. "I've been around…"

"I haven't seen you in over a year," replied Arnold, who then faintly smiled. "Are you still on a mission to 'protect the planet'?"

It was now _Helga_'s turn to smile. "Well, it _is_ a full-time job…" she turned to look at Arnold. "You humans are such droll creatures."

Arnold laughed. "No argument there." He then sobered a bit and looked up toward the sky. "What's it like to do what you do? Are you ever scared?"

"Nah, I'm not afraid. I've got a pretty good team behind me," _Helga_ was surprised to hear herself answer. She was almost afraid that Arnold would question her on the existence of even more supernatural girls roaming the city, but he was already on his next thought.

"Are you ever worried about getting…hurt?"

_Helga_ took her time to answer. It _had_ crossed her mind on the odd occasion, especially now since the creatures they were encountering seemed more aggressive than the one's in the past. But she couldn't tell Arnold that – no need to unnecessarily worry him. She waved her hand nonchalantly "Nah. This is nothing."

Arnold seemed relieved. He gripped his knees close to his chest and sighed. "So…what brings you back to the neighborhood?"

"Actually, Arnold…:" she brushed away the hair in her face and looked at him earnestly. "I decided to stop by because…I miss you too. I decided I want to spend more time with you." _And I want to know why you constantly rescue me in a tuxedo and cape._

Arnold turned red. "I'm still not sure why you've chosen me," he said. "I'm nothing special."

_Oh, I beg to differ_, thought _Helga_. _And if I hang around with you long enough, you're bound to slip up eventually. You WILL reveal your secret to me, Arnold…_

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in another part of the city, two potential lovebirds were making their way home. Stinky escorted a blonde-haired girl in a pink sleeveless dress to her front porch.<p>

"Here we are, Miss Gloria," drawled Stinky in his trademark country accent. "I sure hope the night was agreeable with you…"

Gloria smiled. "I had a wonderful time. Thank you, Stinky."

Stinky rubbed the back of his neck. "You ain't supposin'…we might be able to do this again? Say…next week?"

"I'd like that," and she footnoted her agreement by kissing Stinky lightly on the cheek. "Have a good night."

Stinky beamed. "G-good night, Miss Gloria…" He staggered away, drunk with bliss.

Gloria entered the empty household and made her way up the staircase to her bedroom. She had only scaled half of steps when she felt a sensation akin to an electric jolt shiver down her spine. Her vision blurred momentarily as she saw the image of some foreign object flash in front her eyes.

"No…not again…please…" Gloria leaned against the banister and held her head with both her hands. She knelt down on the steps and tried desperately to will the ever-mounting pain into submission. But her efforts were in vain; darkness swept in, swarming her senses and making her lose all sense of reality.

* * *

><p><em>Helga<em> waved as she bid Arnold farewell and hopped off Sunset Arms, onto one of the rooftops of the adjacent buildings. She was no closer to finding out Arnold's alleged intentions, but she was happy with the amount of time she was able to spend with him in the process.

She landed on a roof with a skylight for a ceiling and heard a loud crash. At first _Helga_ had thought she had inadvertently broke one the windows when she landed on it in her high heel shoes – those things were weapons in and of themselves, _Helga_ often quipped – but then she noticed a peculiar sight below her.

The room underneath the skylight was dark, but in the glare of the moonlight, _Helga_ swore she saw someone stealthily lurking about. She then recalled Patty mentioning her mother's stolen heirloom during their last meeting. Could she have chanced upon the elusive Hillwood bandit?

Several minutes later, the trespasser quietly exited the house and crept down the steps leading into a narrow alley. It was pitch black in the alley, save a few overhead lamps dotting the walls of adjacent buildings. In the trespasser's hands they carried a medium-sized satchel, which was slung over their shoulders.

The figure froze suddenly, startled to find _Helga_ blocking their getaway.

"Going somewhere?"

The figure took a step back, and _Helga_ took a step forward in retaliation. "Not very nice to take other people's belongings without their permission. What do you say you turn right back around and return those stolen items? HEY!"

_Helga_ ducked just in time to avoid getting hit by the swung satchel, which gave the robber ample time to make their escape.

"You're not going anywhere, bucko!" she removed her tiara and chucked it at her target. It sailed true, hitting the perpetrator square in the back of the head, causing them to fall to the ground directly underneath one of the overhead alley lamps, sending the bag flying. The tiara obediently boomeranged back into _Helga_'s waiting hand.

_Helga_ cautiously approached the suspect, who made no attempt to get up and flee again. _Helga_ went for the bag, but when she opened it, she wrinkled her nose in confusion (and slightly disappointed disgust).

"Beans? What kind of nutjob risks their life for a bunch of lousy cans of beans?"

The person moved into the light so that _Helga_ could get a good look at her, causing her to gasp in disbelief.

"No way…"

Lila moved her red hair away from her face and downcast her tear-filled eyes in shame.

* * *

><p>"What were you thinking?" scolded <em>Helga<em> harshly. "Didn't you realize you'd get caught eventually?"

Helga was interrogating Lila as she sat on a closed trashcan. The way the street lamp washed its bright lights on her made it look like a scene out of a cop drama.

"Well, I hope you're ashamed of yourself!"

Lila said nothing, merely nodding her head.

"Do you have anything you have to say for yourself? Want to confess to any other crimes while you're at it? Face it, I caught you redhanded!

"You're right," replied Lila, finally breaking her silence. She wrung her hands and sighed. "I'm so sorry…For everything. I never meant to hurt anyone…"

"So what made you do it?"

"We've been having a rough time…" explained Lila hesitantly. "Daddy's lost his job and he's been struggling to find a new one. Meanwhile, we've been having a hard time making ends meet, paying the bills, keeping food on the table. I wanted to help any way that I could, but I was too young to get any sort of job…"

"So you robbed people of their belongings," _Helga_ finished curtly.

"This was the only time, I swear!" Lila defended, looking up with tears cascading down her cheeks. "I didn't take anything valuable! Tonight, we were low on food, and I was just so HUNGRY…"

At that moment, Lila broke off into sobs. But _Helga_ was not a harbinger for sympathy.

"I can't believe you!" yelled _Helga_, barely masking the incredulity that peppered her voice. "Just what would your father say?"

Lila looked to _Helga_ with panic-stricken eyes. She grabbed onto _Helga_ tugged hysterically. "Please don't tell my daddy! If he knew what I was doing…why…he would be ever-so devastated!

Lila buried her face in _Helga's_ chest, bawling. As she continued to cry, a wicked smile crept upon _Helga_'s face. At long last, she had some dirt against Miss Perfect! She was going to use this to her full advantage. _Helga_ grinned mischievously, figuring out the perfect way to exact her revenge.

_Helga_ grabbed the grovelling Lila by the shoulders and pushed her away.

"Criminy, all right…lay off the waterworks!" Lila looked up at _Helga_ in surprise. "I'll let you off the hook…THIS time."

Lila's eyes brightened. "You will? Oh, thank you, thank you ever so much…!"

"Yeah, yeah," continued _Helga_. "Don't thank me yet – you still haven't heard my conditions."

Lila obeyed and wiped away the rebellious tears from her red eyes, then nodded eagerly. "I'll do whatever you say…"

"Keep this under your bonnet," said _Helga_. "But I'm friends with a one Helga G. Pataki. She taught me everything I know. Anyway, if you don't want me blabbing your little secret to the world, then as a favor to me, you'll do everything that Helga tells you to do. Be her doting servant. Think you can handle that?

"Of course! Oh…I can't thank you enough!" Lila bolted out of the alley. When she was out of sight, _Helga_ turned and rubbed her hands together hungrily.

"Heh, this is gonna be fun…"

* * *

><p>The air was alive with curiosity the next morning in Mr. Frank's classroom. Just before the morning bell, Helga was trailed by Lila, carrying several stacks of books in her hands.<p>

Lila stood beside Helga's desk as she sat down in her seat. "Is there anything else I can get for you, Helga?"

Helga waved her off nonchalantly. "This is good, thanks. I'll call you when I need you."

As Lila returned to her desk, Phoebe eyed her friend suspiciously.

During lunchtime, the situation was similar. Lila carried Helga's tray and paid for her meal. When they were sitting, Helga frowned.

"Uh, Lila…" she said. "Aren't you forgetting something…?"

"Wha…oh! I'm ever-so sorry!" Lila ran to a nearby vending machine and put in some coins to dispense a bottle of Yahoo! soda. Then she set it before Helga, who loudly cleared her throat.

Lila clued in and ran across the cafeteria again, this time returning with a bendy straw. She opened the Yahoo! and placed one end of the straw in the drink and another to Helga's lips so that she may drink.

After a few sips, Helga waved her off again. "This is good for now. Go eat, you'll need your strength for later."

Lila nodded and walked away. The other girls at Helga's table eyed her warily.

"What?" asked Helga defensively.

"Gee, Helga, you sure you didn't need her to chew your food for you, too?" asked Rhonda sarcastically. "Why is she doing all this stuff for you anyway?"

"Let's just say that I've got some collateral on Miss Perfect that I intend to exploit to its full potential…" Helga said cryptically, taking a bite from her meal.

"Sounds to me like you're taking advantage of her," Phoebe said, accusingly.

Helga swallowed her meal and shrugged. "Tomato, To-mah-to."

In another area of the cafeteria, Arnold had watched the whole scene unfold, and simply shook his head.

After school, Lila trailed behind Helga as she blathered off her laundry list of demands.

She struggled to listen, as she was weighed down by not only her own backpack but the contents of Helga's as well.

"…and on Saturday you can come over and clean my house. Don't forget to the wash the windows, both inside and out…oh, and I think the front of the house could use a fresh coat of paint…"

"Helga…can I say something…?"

Helga turned to look at her indentured companion. "Don't tell me you're having second thoughts?"

"No, no…I'm happy to do these things for you…it's just that…your friend…the one that caught me the other night…she seemed to be involved in something ever-so serious."

"Yeah, so?"

"Well…I was just wondering…maybe I can often her some assistance…?"

Helga sighed loudly. "Lila, Lila, Lila…I appreciate your concern, I really do…but this is something you couldn't possibly understand. Leave it to the professionals, okay?"

"But, Helga…"

"I'll see you bright and early, tomorrow." And with that, Helga ended the conversation by entering her house and slamming the door behind her.

Not too long afterwards, there was a knock on her door. Helga went to answer it, and was surprised to see Arnold waiting on the other side.

"Arnold! What are you doing here?"

"Hi, Helga – mind if I come in?" Helga shook her head, and Arnold walked inside. "We need to talk."

Helga's heart skipped a beat. Could this be it? Was Arnold finally going to confess his secret identity to her?

But that hope was quickly dashed as soon as Arnold opened his mouth. "It's about Lila."

Helga hid her disappointment with a haughty scowl. "What about her?"

"I've noticed the way you've been treating her lately…it isn't right."

Helga scoffed. "Yeah? I'm in my rights. Besides, if Lila knows what's good for her, she'll keep being my slave, or the whole school will know her big secret."

Arnold's eyes widened. "You know about that?"

"You bet your tiny blue hat I do. And I intend to milk this bit of information for all that its worth. She's had it so good for so long; I'm just leveling the playing field."

"Hey! Listen to me!" Arnold got her attention by grabbing onto her arm forcefully. "Now _look_ – I don't know how you found out, but you really should respect her privacy. No one needs to know about this."

"No one needs to know?" Helga was flabbergasted. "Explain that to her victims!"

Arnold's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Little Miss Perfect as Hillwood's public enemy number one! The infamous criminal that's been robbing this city blind. But of course you already knew that. You two have been spending so much time together, I'm sure she's told your all about her schemes."

"She's been spending time with me because she might not have a place to stay! If her father doesn't find a job soon, she's going to lose her home. In the meantime, I've been trying to assure her that she could move into Sunset Arms should worse come to worst."

"…Oh." Helga was taken aback by this new information. She certainly wasn't expecting THAT.

"Listen to yourself, Helga! You've watched the news! You've seen how impossible a lot of those capers were! Do you really think Lila would be capable of that?"

Helga opened her mouth to respond, but then paused. He had a point. Some of the buglaries involved bypassing some of the most advanced, state-of-the-art equipment, the prizes being worth millions of dollars. And yet all she had found on Lila was a couple cans of beans. It didn't quite add up.

But, if Lila wasn't responsible for all the recent crimes…then who was?

Helga didn't feel like figuring this out right at this moment. She ripped her arm out of Arnold's hands. "Get your hands offa me, football-head," she snapped coldly. "And I want you out of my house. It should be no concern of yours how I treat Lila."

"It isn't right, He—" Helga slammed the door in Arnold's face. Arnold angrily stormed home. Helga meanwhile leaned against her wall.

As shameful as it was, Helga did a little victory dance inside. So they WEREN'T going out! Arnold was just a sympathetic shoulder for Lila to cry on! But then she felt guilty. Here she was, happy for her own selfish concerns, when Lila was in genuine trouble…

Maybe Arnold was right, and Lila wasn't the one responsible. Then again, the evidence was there, she had caught Lila in the act. And yet, Lila had insisted on that being a one-time offense…

Helga slammed her fist on the wall; she didn't know what to believe anymore.

* * *

><p>Diana and the scouts were to comb the city for any suspicious activity that evening, but <em>Helga<em> decided to take a quick detour before meeting up with the others. She stopped on the roof of Sunset Arms. Maybe as Sera, Arnold would be more willing to reveal what he knew about Lila's situation. For her sake, she had to know the truth.

Helga saw that Arnold was in his room, lying on his bed and listening to music. She was just about to rap her knuckles against the windows on the roof, when the door to Arnold's room opened. Arnold sat up on the bed and _Helga_ backed away from the window, lest the new person enter and spot her.

"Phone for you, Shortman!" called a voice obviously belonging to Arnold's Grandpa.

"At this hour?" he said, perplexed. Nevertheless, Arnold removed his headphones, got off the bed and exited the room. _Helga_ used the opportunity to infiltrate the room by quickly sliding through one of the open windows.

Sunset Arms' only telephone was located on the second floor of the building, in the hallway leading up to the space that was Arnold's room. _Helga_ quietly tiptoed over to the door and silently peered down below. All she could see were Arnold's feet on the lower level, but she could hear that he was talking to someone on the phone.

"Hello?" answered Arnold. "Oh, hi Mr. Sawyer…." there was silence as he listened to the person on the other line. "…no, Lila never came by the boarding house today…she hasn't come home?...I see…I'll let you know if I hear from her…goodbye…."

Arnold hung up the phone. For a while he didn't budge from where he was standing.

A sense of dread crept upon _Helga_. Lila was missing?She bit her finger. "Criminy…what have I done…?" She quickly exited the room before Arnold returned.

* * *

><p>Lila's father was at his wits' end when he got off the phone with Arnold. He realized that he hadn't been home very often for his daughter – searching for a new means of steady income was a full-time job in and of itself – but he wasn't totally imperceptive of Lila's strange behaviour. Normally she was open to him about anything, but lately she was very tight-lipped, very secretive. Now his suspicions that something was wrong were definitely confirmed; Lila never went out without notifying him of her whereabouts, especially after dark.<p>

He was considering calling another one of Lila's friends (or even the police) when the phone suddenly rang. With baited breath, Mr. Sawyer quickly picked up the phone, his heart beating violently. "H-hello? Lila, honey, is that you?"

At first there was no response on the other end. But then a girl's voice (not Lila's) answered him. "Come to 23rd and Maple immediately if you wish to see your daughter." Click.

Mr. Sawyer dropped the phone. He didn't even bother returning it to the receiver; he was already halfway out the door by the time it had hit the floor.

* * *

><p>"Nothing here, Di," said <em>Rhonda<em> into her watch communicator. It was the middle of the night in the city, the perfect time for the senshi to comb Hillwood for any suspicious characters.

"How about you, Phoebe?" called out Diana.

_Phoebe_ was busy scanning the south side of the city. She logged in her reply. "All clear here, Diana."

"Good. Let's all meet behind the pet store in the middle of town – excellent work, girls!" praised Diana. She was flanked by both _Helga_ and _Patty_ on either side.

_Helga_ was notably quiet for the remainder of the evening, and rightfully so. Her mind was preoccupied with guilty thoughts about the whereabouts of Lila. Not only that, her fellow teammates were still disgusted with the way she had treated Lila earlier at school, and had decided to keep their distance.

Eventually, Diana took notice of _Helga's_ behaviour and addressed it. "Are you alright, Miss Helga? You've been awfully silent lately."

At last, the guilt had finally gotten to _Helga_ and she broke down. "I can't take it anymore!"

"Miss Helga?"

"Call the rest of the girls back. There's something important I have to tell them."

Later that evening, the four scouts converged in front of the scene of Lila's crime as _Helga_ told them the whole story.

"Poor Lila," sighed _Phoebe_ after hearing _Helga's_ story. "I hope she's alright…"

"So, what should we do?" asked _Patty_.

"Well, what are your thoughts, Miss Helga?" asked Diana.

_Helga_ looked at her teammates. "I think…we should try to find her and bring her back. Whatever's going on in Lila's head, it sounds like she's in trouble. It sounds like she might need our help."

Diana nodded in agreement, but _Rhonda_ simply scoffed. "Oh please – I think you're just feeling guilty for how rotten you've been treated her. If anything, you're partly responsible for her running off."

"That's enough, Rhonda," said _Phoebe_.

"No…no she's right," sighed _Helga_. "I _have_ been antagonizing Lila for spending time with Arnold. Consider this my way of making amends."

"OK, but we still don't know how to find Lila," remarked _Rhonda_.

"That's right," added _Phoebe_. "Theoretically, she could be anywhere."

"Well, I suppose we could retrace her steps from where she was last seen," suggested Diana.

As the others tried to plot out their next move, _Helga_ quietly separated herself from the group. When she was enough of a distance away to no longer distinctly hear their banter, she closed her eyes and began concentrating. Concentrating until…

"What's up with Helga?" asked _Rhonda_.

The girls turned to see _Helga_ kneeling to the ground. Initially they thought she was in pain; _Phoebe_ immediately came to her side.

"Helga!"

"Miss Helga, are you alright?"

But _Helga_ got back up and gave her head a quick shake before looking to the group. "Yeah, I'm fine, but…"

"But what…?"

"I think I know where Lila is."

* * *

><p>A taxi had dropped Mr. Sawyer off in front of his intended destination. As the vehicle sped away, he looked apprehensively at the large sign looming overhead: DinoLand.<p>

The prehistoric amusement park had certainly seen better days. Once a popular preteen hotspot, DinoLand had since gone out of business and stood neglected on the outskirts of the city, an extinct shell of its former self and dominant glory.

Mr. Sawyer entered the park grounds and looked about, his eyes darting to and fro for any sign of his daughter. The air was eerily still as he walked through the midway and concession area; eventually he stopped in front of a large Ferris wheel. Suddenly the lights on the Ferris wheel flashed on. Mr. Sawyer looked up and gasped. There, on one of the uppermost rungs of the ride, a young girl stood imposingly. It was a blonde girl, wearing what looked like a sailor scout uniform, only that it was devoid of any colour; the bow and trimmings were all black. Covering the girl's eyes and obscuring most of her face was a black half-mask. What caught Mr. Sawyer's eye, however, was that she held an unconscious Lila in her arms.

"Lila…!" Mr. Sawyer took another step toward the Ferris wheel. To his horror, the sailor in black responded by tossing Lila like a piece of garbage, letting her plummet to ground below.

Mr. Sawyer desperately ran to break her fall, even though he knew full well he wouldn't be able to reach her in time. Suddenly a figure in green zipped through the air, catching the falling dead weight. Mr. Sawyer watched as the figure returned to the ground. It was _Patty_, with Lila cradled safely in her arms.

Before he could ask any questions, _Patty_ handed his daughter back to him. "It's dangerous here. Get out of here while you still can."

Mr. Sawyer nodded and hastily made his retreat.

The other scouts stood behind _Patty_ and looked at their opponent.

"Who's this imposter?" scoffed _Helga_.

_Rhonda_ squinted. "It kinda looks like…yeah…I think that's Gloria…"

_Helga_ looked at _Rhonda_. "Gloria? Who's Gloria?"

"You know, Stinky's new girlfriend; she's all he ever talks about when he isn't rambling on about lemon pudding. She goes to P.S. 119. Nice girl. Came to my house one time trying to sell those putrid Campfire Lass cookies."

_Phoebe_ scanned the situation with her visor. "Odd…it doesn't look like she's been changed. Though that mask she's wearing is awfully suspicious – I think she may be under some sort of mind control."

"Be careful, girls" advised Diana. "Because she hasn't been changed into a monster, your attacks may cause her physical harm. You'll have to apprehend her without using your powers."

The black scout leapt the ground and the others quickly circled around her. _Patty_ immediately came up from behind her and grabbed her by the arms; oddly enough, she did little to resist.

"Don't worry, Gloria, we'll have you back to normal in no time." _Helga_ pulled out her moon wand; only then did _Gloria_ struggle against _Patty's_ grasp.

"_**Moon Healing Escalation!**_"

The light of the wand had fell upon _Gloria_, but had no effect; rather it seemed to make her even more aggressive. She gut-checked _Patty_ with her foot, then grabbed her and threw her over her shoulder, right into _Phoebe,_ knocking them both to the ground. She then turned to _Rhonda_.

"Stay back!" warned _Rhonda_, taking a defensive pose. She whipped out her compact mirror and opened it. There was a flash of light, but it merely bounced off _Gloria_'s mask and reflected back to _Rhonda_, blinding her. _Rhonda_ covered her eyes with her eyes and recoiled to the ground.

_Helga_ was the last one left standing. "That's it! I'm through being nice – time to take you down!"

She charged at _Gloria_, and the two sparred for a bit. Eventually, _Helga_ was bested; _Gloria_ swept her leg and she fell hard to the ground. She then walked away.

Diana looked at her fallen team and ran over to _Helga_.

"Miss Helga! Are you alright? Say something!"

Helga groaned. "Anyone have an ace up their sleeve that I can borrow? Because I just got mine handed to me."

"Miss Helga, it's the black scout – I think she's going after the other girl and her father!"

Mr. Sawyer was breathing heavily as he ran at full tilt towards the exit. Suddenly, his path was cut off by the black scout.

He froze; at the same time, Lila was coming to. She blinked and looked about in confusion. "Huh? Where am I? Daddy…what's going on?"

Mr. Sawyer let his daughter stand on her own two feet. "Stay back, honey." He stood between her and the scout in black. "I won't let her get you."

The black scout approached them slowly, but Mr. Sawyer held his ground. When she was only a few feet from them, the black scout had raised her hand, directing a black wave of energy toward Mr. Sawyer.

Mr. Sawyer held up his arms in a futile attempt to stave off the unexpected attack, but he was eventually knocked off his feet and sent flying into one of the gaming booths on the midway.

Lila immediately came to her father's aid. He was knocked out cold. The black scout came ever closer; Lila stood between them, her arms outstretched and acting as a barrier.

"I'm not going to let her harm my Daddy!"

The scout smirked and came closer. Lila closed her eyes out of fear. Suddenly, a bright orange light emanated from Lila's body. This caught the attention of the black scout, who paused apprehensively.

With the accuracy of a laser, a beam shot out from the light and struck the black scout, causing her head to jerk back. The black mask flew off her face, and in an instant, her sailor uniform vanished, and Gloria was changed back to normal.

When Lila had opened her eyes again, Gloria was on the ground, and the bright orange light converged, then congregated into a small concentrated area in front of Lila, revealing an orange henshin pen. Lila instinctively grabbed for the item, and in an instant, a dramatic transformation had taken place. Her old overalls were swapped for a sailor uniform with an orange motif, her dirty sneakers replaced with orange heels, a bright red bow perched atop her head. Most notable of all, her trademark red hair had changed; it danced as though it were a flame, then magically extinguished into a golden blonde.

When the other scouts had finally arrived on the scene, they were struck in awe to see this strange new scout in orange, visibly shaken, standing over her father and looking horribly confused.

* * *

><p>When Gloria regained consciousness, a guilty look was plastered on her face, and she prostrated herself before the team.<p>

"So…all this time, YOU were the infamous Hillwood bandit," _Helga_ realized.

Gloria bowed her head in shame. "Yes. But…believe me when I say I had no control over my actions, I swear!"

"I know," said _Helga_ coolly. "You were under the control of that mask you were wearing."

Gloria placed a hand on her head as she attempted to recollect. "It's all so hazy. I would get these strange visions of a crystal lamp, then I would black out. Sometimes I would wake up in this secluded area, surrounded by expensive jewelry…and then the next morning I'd hear about a burglary on the news…"

At the mention of the lamp, Diana's ears perked up. "Might you recall the location of the lamp? It is of great importance to us."

Gloria looked at Diana. "That cat just spoke."

"Who, Diana?" _Helga_ shrugged. "Yeah, it comes as a shock at first, but you get used to it. Eventually you learn to even tune her out."

Gloria just resolved herself to the absurdity of the situation and simply shook her head. "At this point, I'm willing to believe anything. I'll even take you to the place where all the missing items are being held. I'm willing to keep your secret, just promise you won't tell anyone what I've done. Especially Stinky."

"All right," agreed _Helga_. "It's a deal."

Meanwhile, the other scouts were gathered around their newest member. _Rhonda_ ran her fingers through _Lila's_ golden hair in awe.

"I can't believe it!" she said. "Your hair is gorgeous! And I think I still see a few strands of red in there! I'm so jealous – all I got was a hair clip!"

_Helga_ rolled her eyes. "Criminy. Even as a sailor scout she has to upstage me…"

_Lila_ blushed. "I'm still not sure what's going on, but I'm happy to help out!"

"Don't worry," said Diana. "We'll explain everything. In the meantime, get acquainted with your new teammates. Jupiter and I will return your father back home."

_Patty_ carried Mr. Sawyer on her back and both she and Diana walked away from the group. When they were out of earshot, _Diana_ spoke.

"Miss Patty, how much do you know about this girl?"

"Who, Lila? Not much; she's not in my grade. I just know that she moved to the city about two years ago."

"Interesting…" Diana's tail whipped vigorously back and forth as she was deep in thought.

"What?"

At first, Diana said nothing, merely watching as _Lila_ laughed freely with the other girls; then she turned to _Patty_ and smiled.

"Nothing," replied Diana. "We should get going."

Diana leapt on her shoulder; Patty made a running start and then leapt away from the area with her cargo in tow.

* * *

><p>Gloria kept the old train station as her secret hideout repository for the stolen jewels.<p>

As they sifted through the items, _Rhonda_ pulled out a familiar looking heirloom.

"I think I know someone who'll appreciate getting this back," smiled _Rhonda_.

"I promise to return all of the stolen treasures," said Gloria. "I'll just go to the police station and say that I found them by chance; they'll never suspect a 12 year-old girl to be capable of so many thefts."

"So where is the lamp?" asked _Helga_.

"What? You mean…it's not sitting where I left it?"

Gloria looked in the spot where she alleged to keep the lamp and frowned. "That's strange. I'm the only one who knows about this hideout. Why would someone take the lamp and nothing else?"

"I don't think anyone took the lamp," replied _Helga_.

"What do you mean?" asked Rhonda. "So, what – the lamp just got up and left on its own?"

Obviously _Rhonda_ was joking, but the way _Helga_ and _Phoebe_ looked at each other, she suddenly realized she that wasn't off the mark as she initially thought.

* * *

><p>Wolfgang and his best friend Edmund were at the dump, the regular hangout for the seniors of P.S. 118. Wolfgang pushed Edmund, who had tripped over a crystallized object.<p>

"Hey Wolfgang, check this out," said Edmund, holding up the item which glittered even without the aid of light.

"Lemme see that!" yelled Wolfgang as he snatched it out of his friends hands. "Whoa….cool."

"I think it's like a lamp or something," Edmund, not taking his eyes off the object.

"I know that, stupid!" snapped Wolfgang.

"Maybe you should make a wish?" joked Edmund.

"I wish you'd shut your trap for five seconds," retorted Wolfgang.

"That can be arranged," hissed an ethereal, female voice.

"Huh?" said the boys simultaneously. Wolfgang let go of the lamp but it continued to hover in the air. As the lamp shook and quaked, a black smoked hissed out of its opening and materialized a pair of beguiling eyes. "Of course…it shall cost you."

_End of Part 5!_


	7. Chapter 6

_Part 6_

_Note: For the sake of clarity, whenever a character is in their transformed state, their name will be given in italics._

_For example:_

Helga G. Pataki = Helga

Sailor Moon = _Helga_

"So, you think the crystal lamp has a mind of its own?" asked _Patty_.

"Precisely," said Diana.

They were inside the Sawyer household (_Patty_ was a bit alarmed when she had entered, for the door was ajar and the phone was off the hook, screeching its disconnected tone). _Patty_ had set the unconscious Mr. Sawyer on the couch in the living room; hopefully Lila would be home before he woke up, and he'd assume that he just had a terrible nightmare.

"So…then why did it need Gloria?" asked _Patty_.

"I believe that the lamp can appear and reappear on its own accord – that's why I think it's highly likely when they go to retrieve the lamp, it won't be there. Gloria was taken up by the powers of the lamp to be its agent in obtaining the stolen items, such as your mother's heirloom."

"But why were they stealing these items?"

"I don't know," said Diana, distantly. "I haven't figured that out yet. We should hold a meeting to discuss the matter tomorrow."

* * *

><p>Later that night, after the brief excursion at the train station, Helga lay in silence in her room. She was deep in thought, obsessing over Arnold and his alleged secret identity.<p>

Arnold had done an extremely good job at keeping his masked alter-ego hidden, but now that they were so deep into this mystery, so close at recovering the Crystal, wouldn't be in their best interest to combine their resources and search together?

Why? Why wouldn't Arnold reveal his secret? Unless…

Helga sat up in her bed.

"Unless he's waiting on me…of course!" It was so obvious! Sure, Arnold had seen her transform in the past, but perhaps he was simply testing her commitment. Perhaps he was waiting on her to call him out – only then could they be on the same page.

"Only one way to find out…" Helga said to herself.

* * *

><p>"But Miss Helga, you can't!" pleaded Diana as Helga divulged her plan in the middle of the next day's scout meeting. "Just consider the risk that you'll be taking!"<p>

"I can't go on like this!" argued Helga. "Besides, it's not like this is some big secret anymore. Sheena knows about Patty, Nadine knows about Rhonda, and even Geraldo knows Phoebe's secret identity. I think it would take a load off my mind if someone that I could trust knew MY secret…"

"But those were extenuating circumstances, Miss Helga!"

But Helga had already left the room and was making her way to the front door. "He has to know the truth," thought Helga determinedly.

In a few minutes flat, Helga was in front of Sunset Arms. "Well…here goes nothing…"

She took a deep breath and was about to knock on the door, when Arnold unexpectedly burst through and walked right past her. "Arnold…?"

"Oh, hi Helga. Sorry, I can't stay and chat. I have to be somewhere…"

"W-wait! What's your hurry?" asked Helga as she struggled to keep pace with Arnold.

"I got a message from a friend –– she said she had something important to tell me. She told me to meet her at the fishing pier."

Arnold had the note in his hand; Helga glanced at the paper and was shocked when she saw the signature:

_From Sera_

From Sera? But _she_ was Sera! Helga ran a bit ahead of Arnold to block his path.

"Hey! How can you be so sure you can listen this girl? S-she might be crazy!"

"You don't know her like I do, Helga. Unlike some people I know, I've got no reason not to trust her."

"But doesn't this sound kinda sketchy to you? Come on – the fishing pier? Something's up…Arnold, listen to me!"

"Don't you have somewhere else to be?" said Arnold coolly, and boarded the bus. Helga froze and watched as the bus whisked Arnold walked away.

"Did you tell him, Miss Helga?" asked Diana, who decided to follow her after the meeting in an attempt to dissuade her decision.

Helga shook her head. "No. Something's not right. Get the others – tell them to meet me at the old fishing pier."

Before Diana could object, Helga hailed down a taxi to follow the bus.

* * *

><p>Arnold looked up at the old meat warehouse on the fishing pier at Front Street and Market. He hadn't been here since the 4th grade when both he and Gerald solved the mystery behind Mr. Green's birthday, but he remembered the stench as if it were yesterday. Tentatively, he entered the decrepit building.<p>

"Hello?" his voice echoed off the metal walls in spots where they weren't obscured by crates and barrels stacked high towards the ceiling. It was dark and silent inside the warehouse, and suddenly Arnold began to wonder if he had made the right choice after all…

Suddenly he was ambushed as a tall kid appeared in front of him.

"Boo!"

Alarmed, Arnold staggered backwards and into the arms of another large kid, who grabbed him from behind and put into a headlock.

"Hey there, shrimp," said a familiar voice.

"Wolfgang?" choked out Arnold, horribly confused. What was going on? Why was Edmund and Wolfgang here?

"So glad you could make it…" said another feminine, unfamilar voice.

Arnold looked up. Out from the shadows emerged what appeared to be a young girl. It was not Sera; in fact, she only looked vaguely human.

"Who are you?" demanded Arnold.

The girl smiled a beguiling, deceivingly pleasant grin. "I'm…a lot of things. I can be greatest wish…but I can also be your greatest nightmare."

Wolfgang smiled and nodded.

"Sera never called me at all, did she? It was you, wasn't it?"

"That's right," the girl said calmly. "For years I've been trapped in this cursed prison…" she held up the crystal lamp that had been terrorizing Arnold's friends. "Lately I've been feeding off the energy of your peers' deepest wishes. When I was strong enough, I escaped my prison…and now I have control over its power. But now I crave more…"

"Hey!"

Helga stood at the warehouse entrance, her fists shaking in anger. "Put. Arnold. Down. _Now_."

"Helga?"

"Aah…" said the girl. "Perfect timing."

She nodded to Wolfgang, who then released Arnold from his grasp. Helga immediately went to his side.

"Helga, you followed me here?"

Helga gripped Arnold tightly and shook him. "You can cut the act, football-head; she's onto us!"

"'Onto us'? What are you…?"

She growled in frustration. "Now's not the time for that! I already know the truth! Now hurry up and transform!"

While Helga was distracted, Edmund had snuck up behind her and yanked the cap off her head. "Huh-huh," he chortled tauntingly. "Keep away!"

Helga tried to snatch her hat back from Edmund, but he had already thrown it to Wolfgang, and before she knew it, she was forced into a game of "monkey in the middle" by the two 8th graders.

"I don't have time for this!" snapped Helga, unaware that the girl had altered the form of the lamp so that it resembled a sword. Thus she was unaware when she moved to attack.

"_Are you ever worried about getting…hurt?"_

It happened so fast.

"_Nah. This is nothing."_

Helga felt no pain. But that was to be expected. After all, she wasn't the girl's target.

All eyes were on the girl as she retracted her weapon.

Arnold knelt to the ground and collapsed.

Wolfgang and Edmund abruptly stopped fooling around when they saw Arnold lying still on the warehouse floor.

Helga didn't even bother to pick up her hat when it dropped from Edmund's hands. Her entire world froze in that instant. She said nothing, merely shaking her head in disbelief, simply refusing to accept what her eyes had just seen.

"No…no…no…" she kept saying over and over again as she went to Arnold. "No…Arnold, no…."

Helga held onto Arnold; he was unconscious, and his skin was turning greyer and greyer after every passing second. As the shadow girl walked towards them, a large crystal barrier suddenly formed around Helga and Arnold, protecting them. At that same moment, the other sailor scouts arrived on the scene.

"All right, now we have a fight."

* * *

><p>It was bitter cold in the crystal tomb, but Helga was too numb with grief to even notice.<p>

Arnold went pale grey and still in her arms. Overcome with grief she gripped him tightly and touched his face. To Helga, this felt eerily similar to the time she had rescued him from being consumed by that monster. Only this time, she was uncertain if he would ever wake up.

Helga felt someone touch her chin. She looked up and found herself face-to-face with the football-headed boy in the mask in cape. Only it couldn't be Arnold, because she was in his arms.

"What?" Helga couldn't believe it. There were two Arnolds! "How…?" was all she could muster to say.

The masked Arnold put a comforting hand on Helga's cheek. "You've done all that you can for him," said the masked Arnold.

"No!" Helga cried. "NO! I don't believe that. Arnold can't die…he WON'T die!"

"Do you wish to save him?"

"Yes," replied Helga, without a moment's hesitation.

"You really love him, don't you?"

Helga pulled out her locket. "With all my heart," she said.

"Then…perhaps MY job is complete," said the masked Arnold. "It's time to awaken your true power."

"My true…power?"

Masked Arnold took Helga by the hand that held her locket. When he did he began to disappear.

"Wait! Not you too! Please don't leave me…!"

Masked Arnold smiled. "I won't. I promise." And with that he vanished. Helga gripped the locket tightly. Suddenly it began to glow.

"Please Arnold…don't die…"

* * *

><p>It was a standoff between the scouts and the girl from the lamp.<p>

"What have you done with the crystal?" demanded Diana. "And where's Sailor Moon?"

The girl smirked. "Over there, but she's no longer your concern."

_Rhonda _sent a stream of flames towards the girl, but they simply deflected away, hitting some of the wooden barrels in the corner of the warehouse. The girl snapped her fingers, and a wave of dark energy rose from the ground and struck the scoutsl; almost instantaneously the girls were forced back into their civilian forms.

"As you can clearly see, the Crystal has given me powers that have far surpassed all of yours. And once I've disposed of you, I'll search for the other half."

"Other half?" asked Diana, perplexed. "Other half of what?"

Suddenly the crystal cocoon from which Helga was encased exploded, shattering into a million pieces. From it Helga emerged, glowing, the gaze in her eyes speaking of unfound rage.

"_How could you? What have you done to Arnold_…?."

Clutched in Helga's hand was a small bright orb, which emanated an immense amount of light. The girl grinned malevolently when she caught sight of the treasure that she possessed.

"At last…!" she said. "The Imperium Silver Crystal is within my grasp!"

The girl pointed her sword at Helga and shot a wave a dark energy towards her. Helga retaliated by pointing her hands at the girl, firing a large beam of pure, white light. Together the two were at a standoff, attacking with the full power from the crystals.

Indeed, Helga was losing the power struggle, and the dark beam was inching ever closer to her.

"Arnold…" she whispered. "Help me…"

All of sudden, Helga beam took on a newfound brilliance, and steadily grew, moving towards the girl.

"Impossible! How could your have more strength? NO!" The beam enveloped the girl and she dissipated into thin air; her crystal sword fell to the ground and shattered into a million pieces.

The light beam continued to grow.

"Let's get out of here!" cried Wolfgang, as both he and Edmund made a mad dash for the exit. Meanwhile the beam was engulfing the entire building in a white light along with everyone still inside.

* * *

><p>The girls opened their eyes to find themselves in the vast expanse of a wasteland. The area felt hazy, and almost dreamlike in their surroundings.<p>

"What happened?" asked Rhonda.

"I…I don't know…" said Diana.

"Where's Helga?" asked Lila.

"Look!" Phoebe pointed out to the horizon.

Suddenly, the masked boy that looked like Arnold appeared in front of them. Angrily, Rhonda stepped up to confront him.

"All right, now you've been following us ever since we got involved in this sailor business! Enough's enough! What's going on? Who are you?"

Lila stared at the boy, then at her teammate. She was fairly new to being a sailor senshi, but even she could see what was so blatantly obvious. "Rhonda…isn't that Arnold?"

"No. It's _not_." said Rhonda with conviction. "Who are you?"

"She's right," replied the masked boy. "I'm not Arnold. In fact, I'm not even a real person."

"Well…then who…or _what_ are you?" asked Phoebe.

"And where are we?" added Patty.

"The answer to both, was with Helga this whole time. Kept safe from harm. And nurtured until just the right moment."

The other girl were complexed by the riddle, but Diana's eyes widened in realization.

"The Imperium Silver Crystal."

The masked boy nodded.

"Wait…you're the _Crystal_?" remarked Rhonda. "How is that possible?"

"Diana," said Phoebe. "I thought you said the lamp was the Imperium Silver Crystal we were searching for?"

"Well, it is…and it isn't."

"What does THAT mean?" asked Rhonda.

"From what I'm to gather…somehow, the Crystal broke into two separate pieces. One half became corrupted by the evil spirit and turned into the lamp, while the other half lay dormant somewhere in the City. It's the only way I wouldn't have been able to sense it."

"But why did Helga have it?" inquired Phoebe. "_How_ did she have it?"

"Because the Crystal was her locket," explained the masked Arnold. "Unbeknownst to Helga, she had kept the sleeping half of the Crystal safe from evil for all this time. And when monsters _did_ begin to appear in the city, I was created to aid her in her mission."

"Helga created me from her hopes and dreams, which primarily consisted of her thoughts of the boy she loved, Arnold. Helga may not have realized it, but she actually WANTED to be rescued by Arnold, hence my existence. But in order for her to defeat the spirit inhabiting the lamp, she required that I merge back with the locket to awaken its true form. Now that Helga's in sole possession of an awakened half of the Imperium Silver Crystal there is no reason for me to exist independently."

"Wait – where IS Helga?"

"Arnold" pointed several yards into the horizon. "She is here. Keep walking straight ahead and you will find her. This is the last time you will see me, and the last time I will assist you. Good luck."

And with that he turned and walked away, vanishing forever into thin air.

The girls took his advice and continued walking. Eventually they did run into Helga

She was standing next to what appeared to be a statue situated in the middle of nowhere, The others ran to meet her, and by then she was kneeling in front of the mysterious obelisk.

Phoebe inched cautiously toward her detached friend. "Helga…?"

Helga did not turn to acknowledge her. "Why do you call me by this name?"

Her voice sounded haughty and cold. Phoebe wasn't sure how to respond, so she let Rhonda answer.

"That's your name. You're Helga G. Pataki."

"Yeah," agreed Lila. "You're the toughest girl at P.S. 118, remember?"

Helga shook her head. "I know none of this. And you may address me by my proper title. I am Princess Harmonia, and I am the ruler of the kingdom of Last Haste."

"Last Haste…?" repeated Diana.

Diana and the other girls looked about dubiously.

"I don't see any kingdom," said Rhonda.

"It's been annihilated," Princess Harmonia said, her tone steeped with an edge of bitterness. "We now stand in the epicenter of what use to be my home. I'm merely paying homage to my own life."

"What do you mean, Princess?" asked Diana.

"Open your eyes," said Harmonia. "What you see before you is no statue. It is me. I caused this.

Upon further inspection of the statue, the girls realized that the rock structure greatly resembled Helga, if her hair was down and she was wearing a long flowing gown. It looked as though she were holding her hands cupped upward, as if she were holding something of great value or paying tribute to some god.

The girls stood stunned in front of their now-possessed leader.

Rhonda shook her head in disbelief. "This…doesn't make any sense. You're just a regular girl, Helga. We all are!"

"Not necessarily," replied Diana. "While you all may be regular girls in your current time, in the future you all held important titles. Helga's title was the most important of all, and the driving force which shaped all of your destinies."

"Some destiny…" spat Helga/Harmonia bitterly, standing up from her spot in front of her own monument. "Is it destiny for us all to be doomed?"

"What on earth are you talking about?" demanded Rhonda, not bothering with Helga's royal title.

Harmonia glared angrily at Rhonda, then turned away from the group. "The city you now live in? Hillwood? It is but an illusion. It does not exist; it is merely a product of the power of the Crystal. Hillwood is simply Last Haste…thrust 1000 years into the past.

The others were speechless for a while.

"I don't understand,' admitted Diana finally.

Harmonia faced the group and outstretched her arms from her sides, mimicking a scale. "When Hillwood was created, the Crystal couldn't handle the sheer magnitude of the shift, and so it was cleaved in two. This created a precarious balance that allowed the city to exist without disrupting the space-time continuum. Simultaneously, pockets of non-space formed to maintain the equilibrium. When you and your mother arrived in search of the Crystal, you attracted beings from the non-space into the city, thus weakening the balance. Your trip in particular, Diana, had thrust out the half of the Crystal from the non-space. And now, that you've brought both halves to the city – " she made raised one arm while lowering the other, the clasped her hands together – "the stability is gone. And the only way to correct this anomaly is to wipe Hillwood completely out of existence."

"Hel—er, Princess Harmonia," Diana corrected herself. "What can be done to prevent the city from collapsing into itself?"

"Nothing. You can try, but I doubt there is anything you can do to prevent your demise." Harmonia closed her eyes. "After all…my time has already expired. I'm all that remains of the memory any one of you shall have of the fate of our once proud kingdom. And I've told you all that I can."

"Are you serious?" Rhonda asked, annoyed and fed up with Harmonia's royal attitude. "So there's _nothing_ we can do? There has to be more you can tell us! What role did we have in all this, anyway? What are we to _you_? No offence, but you're acting like an even bigger princess than I could ever be!"

There was a rumble. The girls looked about and saw that the world around them was collapsing.

"My time has ended," repeated Harmonia. "Go back to the one you call Helga. Only she can prevent history from repeating itself."

The sky gave way to pitch-black, as did the ground.

And then silence.

* * *

><p>Diana was the first to awake, and when she did she was overcome by the smell of smoke. She saw that they were still inside the warehouse, and that it was now on fire.<p>

"Hey…hey! We got to get out of here!" Diana quickly tried to rouse her unconscious team, but Patty was the only one who got up.

"Miss Patty, the others won't wake up!" Diana said frantically.

"Keep trying!" ordered Patty. "I'm going to try and rescue the others!"

In the end, only Helga refused to wake up, so Patty had to carry her out over her shoulder. Several minutes later, the girls emerged from the warehouse, soot-covered and dirty, but otherwise safe.

"Is everyone alright?" asks Patty. The other girls nodded.

At last, Helga began to come to.

"Helga! Are you alright?" asked Phoebe frantically.

Helga groaned, but then nodded. "Yeah…I'm fine."

"Do remember what happened?" Rhonda asked.

Helga squinted, struggling to recollect her memory. "What? The last thing I remember was…"

A sudden horror gripped Helga as she quickly stood up.

"Helga, take it easy!" warned Lila.

"Where's Arnold?" asked Helga excitedly.

The other girls went pale.

"We…we didn't know Arnold was with you, Helga," Patty finally admitted.

"I have to go back! I have to save him!"

"Helga, you can't!" argued Phoebe. "It's suicide!"

But Helga ignored her friend and went towards the warehouse, which was now a big ball of flames on the docks. The other girls restrained her, but she fought against them desperately.

Suddenly, the warehouse collapsed into the water, taking the dock with it in one big smouldering wreckage.

* * *

><p>Helga sat cross-legged at the edge of the docks. There she stared silently at what little remained of the City Meat Co. warehouse. There was still no sign of Arnold, and the situation was looking grimmer as the time passed.<p>

Phoebe cautiously approached her, stopping a few feet from her best friend. "Helga…?"

Helga said nothing; she didn't even budge to acknowledge her friend.

Phoebe's tone became more desperate. "Helga…it's been 2 hours…we really should go…"

Silence.

"Helga…please say something. Anything…"

After her pleas fell on deaf ears, Phoebe returned to the group. "It's no use…"

"Hey!" came a voice from behind them. The group turned around and saw Wolfgang and Edmund, shooting them an accusing gaze. "Don't think this is over!"

"Yeah!" added Edmund. "We know who you are! You're that moon girl that fights monsters in the city!"

"You don't scare us! You're just a stupid girl! We can take you, so let's do this right now!"

Surprisingly, this got Helga's attention.

Helga slowly stood up. She turned to look slowly at the 8th graders. Her eyes were red and puffy, but angry. "You want to end this now? RIGHT now?"

"Helga, don't," pleaded Phoebe.

"No, no, Phoebes – they think they're a bunch a big shots…you guys think you're tough? You want to fight RIGHT NOW? OKAY! LET'S GO!"

"Helga, stop…" Lila tried to hold her back, but at that moment, Helga's body glowed with the power of the Crystal, scaring not only her teammates, but Wolfgang and Edmund as well. The ground crumbled around her as she approached her challengers, with nothing but pure malice in her eyes.

"NO, LILA. LET'S END THIS RIGHT NOW. EVEN THOUGH WE JUST RISKED OUR HIDES TO SAVE YOU IDIOTS…EVEN THOUGH, BECAUSE OF YOU, ARNOLD IS GONE…LET'S GO…RIGHT NOW!"

"Uh…on second thought," said Wolfgang, timidly backing way. "Maybe some other time."

"Yeah, your secret's safe with us!" added Edmund, and with that, the two boys

turned around and high-tailed it far away from the area.

"Helga you must calm down!" warned Diana. "You emotions have a destructive edge when channeled through the Imperium Silver Crystal!"

Eventually Helga did calm down. "Arnold…" she said finally.

Her resolve was gone. She turned to look at what was left of the docks. "Arnold…" she repeated, covering her face with her hands.

Everyone else was silent as Helga knelt to the ground and began to cry hysterically. "_**ARNOLD!**_" she screamed.

_End of Part 6!_


	8. Chapter 7

_Part 7_

_Note: For the sake of clarity, whenever a character is in their transformed state, their name will be given in italics._

_For example:_

Helga G. Pataki = Helga

Sailor Moon = _Helga_

Abner squealed anxiously as he made his way home. Usually the rotund pig was the leader of the motley crew of pets that filtered out into the streets whenever a tenant of Sunset Arms passed through the front door, but this time, due to the violent winds outside, the domesticated animals were all making a hasty retreat to the safe confines of four sturdy walls.

Meanwhile, the boarders decided to ride out the storm in the safety of the cellar (more specifically, in the cozy furnished secret bathroom).

"Do you think the storm has passed yet?" asked Mr. Kokoshka.

"How should I know?" snapped Ernie. "Why don't you go upstairs and check?"

"No, it's too dangerous – Suzie, why don't you check it out?"

"Oskar, you are stepping on my foot!" said an angry Mr. Hynnh. "I do not like it!"

"Ow!" yelled Ernie. "And will you get your elbow outta my nose, Hynnh! Sheesh, this isn't like the first tornado drill we've had!"

"We have been getting an awful lot of bad weather lately…" mused Suzie Kokoshka.

"Should someone go up and get Grandpa?" asked Oskar.

"They won't budge," said Ernie. "It's like they just stopped caring…since Arnold went missing."

The mood became momentarily somber in that cramped bathroom as they thought of Arnold's grandparents shunning the storm, diligently sitting in the kitchen, looking out the window in hopes that they would see their him return.

It had been 2 months since Arnold's disappearance. For a long time a dark cloud of sadness hung over Hillwood, especially over those who knew him well – his teachers, his peers, his grandparents and extended family, but most of all, Helga.

Helga had not left the house since the day of the incident, and had fallen into a deep depression. Most days she just laid in her room, in the dark, barely moving. She didn't go to school, and she didn't talk to the other girls. For the longest time, she just stopped existing, refusing to move on. Because, deep within her heart and soul, she felt that her involvement as a sailor senshi made her responsible.

As a direct result, without the guidance of their leader, the sailor scouts had also ceased to function. For them, life _did_ go on, but very tentatively, and with a lingering sense of foreboding, for they knew in their hearts that their mission was not yet complete, yet they had no idea what their next move was.

The only good news to come the girls' way was that Lila's father had finally found a stable job. The only downside was that his hours meant he would seldom be home, which left Lila to fend for herself on most days.

"I have to get going," said Lila's father, as he put on his coat and headed for the door. "I'll see you later, okay honey?"

"Okay, daddy – I love you!" said Lila.

Later that night, Lila was awoken by the sound of noises coming from outside her room. The phone was in the kitchen, so she would have to take her chances that she wouldn't run into the alleged intruder.

Lila tiptoed down the hallway, a flashlight brandished in her hand. Suddenly, she felt herself bump into something. Instinctively, she turned the flashlight on and pointed it at the stranger, who was caught by surprise and tripped over a rug, bumping his head on a coffee table.

Lila turned the hall light on. There on the ground lay an unconscious teenage boy, about Lila's age, with red hair and freckles. He was dressed in all black. For a second Lila could have sworn he looked dramatically different when she flashed the flashlight upon him, but perhaps it was her frightened mind playing tricks on her.

For some reason, Lila couldn't bring herself to call the police on the trespasser. Instead, she decided to nurse him back to health, and find out more about him.

The redhaired boy awoke on the couch, with a blanket over him and a damp rag over his forehead.

"Where am I?" he said, half in a daze.

"You're in my house," said Lila. "Trespassing, I might add."

The boy groaned. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"What are you doing in here? Are you trying to rob us?" Lila was met with the ultimate cosmic irony; one because she was a burglar once herself, and two, because she and her father were so poor, they'd have nothing of value to take.

The boy shook his head. "No. Nothing like that. I'm just looking for a place to stay."

"I'm ever-so-certain there are already establishments for that," retorted Lila. "Why did you feel the need to break into my house?"

"I'm…running away from home."

"Running away?"

"Yeah. I'm fairly new around the area, and I have no where else to go. Please, let me stay here for the night. I promise I won't be a bother."

Lila knew she should have said no. A stranger breaking into her home asking to spend the night? That was just asking for trouble. But something about the boy put Lila at ease. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but somehow she knew that she could trust him. She knew that she would be safe.

"Alright," said Lila. "You can stay. But only for tonight."

"Thank you," smiled the boy. "By the way, my name is Liam."

"Lila," replied. They shook hands.

"What pretty red hair, Lila," said Liam.

"I'm ever so certain I can say the same thing about you," they shared a brief laugh. "Well, good night. See you in the morning."

Lila turned off the light and left Liam in the darkness of the living room, where he felt the most at home.

* * *

><p>"…In other news, scientists are still baffled by the recent string of catastrophic events occurring in Hillwood…," said the reporter on the tv screen.<p>

"Nothing but bad news…" grumbled Big Bob, who was straightening out his newspaper. "How am I supposed to run a successful beeper emporium when the world is in such disarray?"

"Oh, B," sighed Miriam. "You're acting like it's the end of the world."

"Earthquakes? Tornados? That unexplained hole in the sky? Sure seems like the end of the world to me."

"Oh…well, will you look at who finally decided to go to school," Miriam turned to look at a downcast Helga, who had finally made an appearance in the kitchen. "Feeling better, honey?"

Helga nodded her head solemnly, but was still looking at the floor. Big Bob made a disparaging noise. "She better be, she's been out of school for weeks."

"Would you like me to drive you to school, honey?" asked Miriam, a consoling tone to her voice.

"No…if it's alright with you, I think I'll walk," replied Helga, her voice dull.

"Oh…okay. The fresh air should do you good." Helga said nothing as she listlessly left the house. Big Bob shook his head. "That girl's got some issues."

"She just needs some time to recuperate, B," defended Miriam.

"From WHAT?" Big Bob exploded. "There's nothing wrong with her! She's not sick! She's been like this ever since that funny-headed boy disappeared a while back! When is she going to get better?"

Miriam sighed. "I don't know, B…I wish I knew."

Helga ended up not going to school. Instead she just walked out and about the city, thinking. She decided she'd deal with the imminent tirade from Big Bob for missing school, but for now she'd rather be alone with her thoughts.

Helga sat on the park bench, looking straight ahead at nothing in particular. She felt like crying, but no tears came out of her eyes; she was all cried out. Instead she just looked up at the clouds passing by overhead.

"Miss Helga?"

Helga jolted back to reality; she turned to see Diana sitting next to her on the park bench.

"Oh, it YOU," she said, a hint of resentment in her voice.

"I haven't seen you in weeks. All you alright?"

"I'm living."

"Oh…it's just that….we need you to come back, Miss Helga. Our mission's not yet completed and…"

"Oh, right! The mission! Heaven forbid we neglect that!" Helga said sourly, looking away from the cat. She stood up and began to walk away.

"You've seen the hole in the sky, have you not?" asked Diana. At that, Helga froze. She _was_ aware of the weird occurrences taking place in Hillwood. The city had not had a tornado in over 60 years, never mind the unprecedented floods, earthquakes and surprise snow storms. Something was definitely going on; their work was far from over, and yet…

"I can't deal with these things right now, Di," Helga said finally. "I'm not ready. I don't when I'll ever be ready…"

"We don't know how much more time this city has!" cried Diana. "It's…it's failing. You know it…we both know it! Eventually Hillwood will cease to exist, and if we don't come up with a solution soon…"

"Look, why do you even need me?" snapped Helga. "I have the Crystal, sure, but why can't one of the other girls take over for me? I don't even remember my other life! I didn't ask for any of this!"

"I'm sorry, but it has to be you. You're our leader. We can't go on without you. We're willing to wait, but…"

"Yeah, well you can keep on waiting. I'm outta here." Helga stormed off. Diana sat alone on the park bench and sighed in defeat.

Helga kicked an empty aluminum can down the street as she walked. Eventually she passed by a parked ice cream truck, where the Jolly Olly Man was leaning and reading a magazine.

"Shouldn't you be in school?" remarked the Jolly Olly Man.

Helga stopped and shot him a dirty look. "Shouldn't _you_ be working?"

"No paying customers until after 3," he replied. "Besides…what the boss don't know won't hurt him." He closed his magazine and took a second look at Helga. "Hey…aren't you that crazy kid who ran in front of my ice cream truck 2 years ago to save a cat?"

"No…that was someone else. And right now I wish that he hadn't. He's gone now."

"Sucks. Then again, that's life for you – just one big perpetual suckfest."

Helga scoffed. "Tell me about it."

The Jolly Olly Man stuck his hand into the back of his truck and tossed Helga a wrapped ice cream bar. "Here. My condolences."

Helga caught the bar, then made a face. "Thanks, but I'm allergic to strawberry."

The Jolly Olly Man shrugged. "Not my problem."

Helga scowled. "Jerk." She walked away, tossing the ice cream to the ground and stepping on it.

"I hate kids," said the Jolly Olly Man when she was out of earshot. He opened his magazine to continue reading, when his truck began to shake violently. "Great, not another earthquake…"

But then the top of his vehicle exploded, raining out his profits, along with an unexpected guest.

* * *

><p>Helga lay alone in her room once again. She stared up at her ceiling in silence. Her closet was still full of her poems and her shrine of Arnold, but she didn't have the heart to even think of those things.<p>

Her cell phone rang. She picked up the phone and glanced at the number; it was Phoebe. She let it go to voicemail and listened to the message.

"We need you right now!" said Phoebe, frantically. "This weird creature's been freezing things left and right! Please pick up!"

Helga deleted the message.

"Who cares what happens to this rotten place?" Helga said to no one in particular. "I hope the whole city just disappears off the face of the Earth."

"_Come on, you don't mean that."_

Helga shot up in her bed. "Arnold?"

She had heard his voice, but when she looked around, there was no one in her room.

"_You've got to go help them."_

_That's it_, she thought, _I'm finally going nuts. I'm hearing Arnold in my head now._

Regardless she decided to reply back. "I can't. It hurts too much. I miss you."

"_They're your friends, Helga. They're counting on you."_

Helga shook her head, finally feeling tears come out of her eyes again. "No…"

"_I'll be with you,"_ said the invisible voice. _"But only if you help them. You can't let Hillwood die."_

Helga breathed in harshly. "You promise?"

"_I promise."_

Helga wiped her eyes and stood up from the bed. She walked over to her dresser and opened the top drawer. After throwing all her clothes to the ground, she finally got to the bottom of her drawer and pulled out the one item she hoped to never see again.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Venus Crescent Beam!"<strong>_

A bright streak of orange light hit the ice creature point-blank, but it had no effect. The creature directed a pointed claw at _Lila's_ feet and almost instantaneously her boots were frozen to the ground.

"_**Supreme Thunder!"**_

_Patty_ punched the monster with the full force of her attack, staggering it momentarily. In that instant, Phoebe used to her visor to analyze the situation.

"Anything?" asked _Rhonda_.

_Phoebe_ shook her head. "Nothing. It's all blank. There's no weakness, especially to your fire."

"Fantastic!" _Rhonda_ said in exasperation. "Did you try calling Helga? What's the verdict?"

_Phoebe_ frowned and shook her head. _Rhonda_ swore in frustration.

"Stay focused, girls!" ordered Diana. "Somehow we have to subdue this creature!"

"Don't you think we've been trying?" snapped _Rhonda_.

"Need any help?"

The four girls and cat turned to see a familiar scout with waistlength pigtails approach them. Gripped in her hand was the moon wand, but with an extra addition; the Crystal (formerly her locket).

"Helga! You're back!"

_Helga _nodded. "Alright. Let's finish this." _Helga_ waved the wand at the creature, who tried to attack with a blast of icy snow. "_**Moon Healing Escalation**_!"

The monster's attack was deflected and it howled as the light from the wand washed over it. The Jolly Olly Man faded into view and kneeled down on the ground.

"I hate my job," he grumbled before passing out.

"You did it, Sailor Moon!" said Diana.

"_Good work, Helga,"_ whispered the voice in Helga's head.

"Arnold?" she looked around hopefully, but of course he was nowhere to be found.

"Helga…are you alright?" asked a concerned _Phoebe_.

_Helga_ paused, not looking at her team. She closed her eyes, let out a small laugh, then turned to face the girls.

"Yeah. You know what? I am alright. I'm back, and I'm here to stay."

"You are?" said _Lila _hopefully.

Helga nodded with conviction. "Absolutely. Because now I have a reason to keep going. _Because now I know that somehow, someway…Arnold's still alive. And he's out there…somewhere.."_

_End of Part 8!_


	9. Chapter 8

_Part 8_

_Note: For the sake of clarity, whenever a character is in their transformed state, their name will be given in italics._

_For example:_

Helga G. Pataki = Helga

Sailor Moon = _Helga_

It was the middle of the night. Lila awoke to the sound of wailing coming from the living room. She went quickly to investigate and found Liam twisting and turning in his sleep on the couch.

"Liam! Liam, wake up!" said Lila as she gently tried to coax him into consciousness. "You're having a bad dream – wake up!"

Immediately Liam's eyes shot open, staring in a panic at Lila. He still seemed disoriented. "W-where am I…? What…?"

"It's alright. I'm here." Lila embraced Liam, and eventually he started to calm down. "What on earth were you dreaming about?'

Liam breathed heavily. "My mother."

"Oh. Do you miss her?"

"Sometimes. And you? Is your mother still with you?"

"No…but I miss her, too."

The two of them sat on the couch in the dark, in silence, lost in thought. Finally Liam spoke. "I think I'm alright now. Thank you, Lila."

"Are you sure? I'll stay with you a while longer if you'd like."

"I don't want to take away from your sleep…"

"It's okay. I don't have to get ready for school for a few more hours. We can just stay up and talk."

"About what?"

"Well, I can tell you where I'm from, and maybe I can learn a little more about you."

Liam smiled. "Alright. You first."

"Well…I'm originally from a small farming community by the name of Pleasantville…"

* * *

><p>Now that the girls were officially a team again, they all sat together at lunch, even Patty, who for the longest time chose to do her own thing. At first it was awkward, and they were self-conscious of the stares from their classmates, but eventually it became business as usual at P.S. 118.<p>

One day during lunch period, Patty placed five tickets on the table in front of Rhonda, Lila, Phoebe, and Helga.

Helga peered at the tickets, then scoffed derisively. "Ronnie Matthews? Thanks, but I think I'll pass."

"Yeah," chimed in Rhonda. "Ronnie Matthews hasn't been relevant in like, what, 3 years?"

"Apparently this is his big 'comeback tour'," replied Patty. "My dad got these from a business client."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll get some takers," said Helga. "Let's not forget that _some_ of us are HUGE Ronnie Matthews fans…"

"Don't even start, Helga," warned Phoebe, not looking up from her lunch.

"Yeah," said Rhonda. "That was a long time ago…when I was a stupid kid with no taste…"

"I dunno, I kinda like his music…" Lila added timidly.

"There, you see? Now all you have to do is find 3 more saps that listen to that crap and problem solved!"

"You don't understand," Patty said. "I told my dad I had four friends that would love to see Ronnie Matthews. You all_ have_ to come."

At that the group was speechless. At last Phoebe said "You consider us your friends?"

Patty looked down at her feet. "I know I don't show it very often, and I know I usually seem kind of distant, but you guys are the closest thing to friends I've had in a long time. I just thought this would be a good opportunity to spend some time together and…"

"Say no more," said Rhonda, holding up her hand, then standing up. "You should have said that from the beginning. Of course I'll go with you, Patty. We're friends, right?"

"I'll go as well," said Phoebe. "Even if I find Ronnie Matthews a bit deplorable."

Patty smiled. The other girls looked expectantly at Helga, who finally sighed in defeat.

"Alright, I'll come. But only if you promise never to stuff me into a locker of garbage can again..."

The table where they were all sitting shook as a mild tremour rippled through the cafeteria. When the lights ceased flickering on and off, Patty leered at Helga and smirked.

"You avoid making obvious jokes at my expense, and you've got yourself a deal."

* * *

><p>Truthfully, even though she didn't care for his music, Helga thought that going to a Ronnie Matthews concert was just the distraction she needed to get her mind off of Arnold.<p>

Diana's presence in her room, however, made it difficult for her to ignore her sailor duties.

"Who is Ronnie Matthews, Miss Helga?" asked Diana as Helga rummaged through her closet for something to wear.

"Just some washed-up Latin pop singer that held the radio waves hostage when I was in the 4th grade," Helga said drily. She then emerged from the closet with a couple of CD cases in her hand. "Here – I'll give you a quick sample."

The CDs were Ronnie Matthews albums Helga had saved from Phoebe's garbage a couple years ago, after a dinner with the man himself turned out to be a fiasco and Ronnie was revealed to be nothing more than a pretty-faced farce, a corporate shill with no real ear for music, or musical talent at all for that matter.

Helga popped the CD in her stereo and clicked to the song "I Saw Your Face and Wow!". Diana listened intently as Helga scrutinized a prospective outfits in front the mirror.

"'_The cosmic power of our energy…_' what unusual lyrics! Could this Ronnie be a _youma_?"

Helga let out a short laugh. "I seriously doubt it, Di." Though, she was briefly reminded of how one of Ronnie's vapid songs literally saved both her and Phoebe's hide when they had to fight an evil Medusa monster. The more she thought about it, the more she pondered if his songs really DID hold some inexplicable supernatural power…

"How's this?" Helga held up a pink dress in front of Diana for her honest opinion.

Diana smiled. "You'd look great in anything, miss!"

Helga rolled her eyes in response. "Great," she said. "It's bad enough I'm relying on a cat for fashion advice. I had to find a cat who was also a shameless liar."

* * *

><p>The girls arrived at the concert hall around 6 o'clock and gathered in the lobby.<p>

Where's Helga?" asked Phoebe.

Seconds later, Helga appeared wearing an oversized Ronnie Matthews t-shirt, shorts, and sandals. Rhonda scoffed and looked at her dubiously. "Are you serious? THAT'S how you're going? You didn't have to dress up, but…I'm sorry, if I look at you any longer my eyes are going to bleed."

"Then don't look," snapped Helga. "Besides, it wasn't my fault – I used the Luna Pen to find the ideal wardrobe for the typical Ronnie Matthews fan, and this was it. Apparently, we aren't the target demographic."

"At least, not anymore," Rhonda quipped.

Lila's face went blank. "Luna Pen?"

"It's a long story," explained Phoebe.

At last Patty arrived. "You guys ready?"

"Ready as we'll ever be," replied Helga. "Let's just get this over with…"

* * *

><p>Ronnie Matthews was in his dressing room, getting primped and preened and ready for his impending performance.<p>

There was a knock at the door and in walked Ronnie's agent, a skinny middle-aged woman with short reddish-brown hair and glasses. Though she didn't smile often, she walked with a bit of pep to her step, confident that her job was a step-up from the position she had babying a certain muscle-bound Abdicator during his television gigs.

"Ronnie, you look gorgeous," praised the agent, taking a seat next to the star.

"I know, I know," Ronnie said in his extremely thick Latin accent as he admired himself in the vanity makeup mirror.

"Is there something you said you wanted to talk about?"

"Yes, yes," Ronnie clapped his hands and almost immediately his entourage filed out of his dressing room, leaving the two of them alone.

"So talk to me."

"I tire of using the lipsyncing."

"Oh boy, here we go again…" the agent sighed.

"I am _Ronnie Matthews_…" – as he said his name, he gestured with flair – "People pay the monies to come and see ME sing, not some nameless, unfabulous nobody. Just this once, let me go without the machine."

"Ronnie, baby….this is your big comeback tour. You have a lot riding on the success of the concert, and based on your last album sales, let's be honest, you're in no position to go changing things now."

"But I can sing! I promise! I haff been practicing…ahem…_coz yure a cu-razee-AATE…!_"

"Ronnie, Ronnie, Ronnie…why don't you just get out there on that stage and shake those Latin hips as hard as you can? Leave the singing to the professionals, huh?"

And with that the conversation ended as the agent left the room, leaving the morose superstar to slump back into his chair and stare back at his perfect visage in disappointment.

There was another knock at the door. Ronnie sighed and stood up. "Yes, yes…I am ready, I am coming!"

Ronnie Matthews opened the door and was ambushed faster than when he walked right into a Ronnie Matthews fan club full of prepubescent girls.

* * *

><p>The lights dimmed in the concert hall, and the crowd cheered in anticipation.<p>

"Finally," muttered Helga. "We've been standing here forever!"

"Glowstick?" asked Lila, offering Helga one to lighten the mood.

The stage filled with smoke as the backup dancers moved and swayed around it. Then, from a platform underneath the stage, Ronnie Matthews emerged and, microphone in hand, began "singing" his newest song "Crazy Eight".

_I tried to call you but you wouldn't pick up,_

_We had a big fight and you wouldn't make up,_

_I tried to wonder, baby, what made you so mad?_

_On a scale of 1 to 10, you're not so bad!_

_Cos you're a crazy eight!_

_Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do_

_You're a crazy eight!_

_Do-do-do!_

_Cos you're a crazy eight!_

_And you're really gettin' on my nerves!_

_I said that you looked nice, you did not take it well,_

_You told me off right then, you told me to go to_

_Hell-o!_

_What'd I do to deserve this treatment that you give?_

_Without you, my crazy eight, I'll never live!_

_Cos you're a crazy eight!_

_Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do_

_You're a crazy eight!_

_Do-do-do!_

_Cos you're a crazy eight!_

_And you're really gettin' on my nerves!_

_How can I tell you I'm sorry?_

_How can I tell you I'm wrong?_

_What can I say? Please, don't hurt me this way!_

_I wanna make it up to you with this song!_

_Cos you're my crazy eight!_

_Do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do-do_

_You're my crazy eight!_

_Do-do-do!_

_Yeah, you're my crazy eight!_

_And I'm sorry I got on your nerves!_

Suddenly, Ronnie Matthews let out a shrill cry into the microphone, and all the backup dancers on the stage collapsed, as well as all of the people in the audience, save for Helga, Phoebe, Rhonda, Lila, and Patty.

"Something tells me this wasn't part of the show!" said Rhonda.

Ronnie Matthews wailed again, and the reverberation from the giant speakers caused the entire arena to quake.

Diana popped her head out of Helga's handbag. "We have to stop this at once!"

"Hey! What are you doing in there?" asked a surprised Helga.

"I wanted to see this Ronnie Matthews for myself," confessed Diana. "And I'm glad that I did! I was right after all – he really IS a _youma_!"

"Oh, for crying out loud…" said Helga, exasperated.

"Transform, girls!"

_**Moon Prism Power, Makeup!**_

_**Mercruy Power, Makeup!**_

_**Mars Power, Makeup!**_

_**Jupiter Power, Makeup!**_

_**Venus Power, Makeup!**_

The girls stormed the stage and formed a circle around the possessed Ronnie Matthews. Right away, _Phoebe_ did a scan with her visor.

"Find anything useful?" asked _Helga_.

"No," replied _Phoebe_. "It's still all blank, like last time!"

"Great…"

"I don't understand, Diana," said _Lila_. "What could be causing this?"

"I wish I knew," said Diana.

Suddenly, Ronnie took his microphone by the cord and whipped it around like a whip. The senshi dodged it by ducking underneath and jumping over it.

"Hey Ronnie! See if you remember this number…_**Fire Soul**_!"

_Rhonda_ sent a barrage of flames in Ronnie's general direction, but he dodged it by jumping high into the air and levitating.

"Split up, everyone!" commanded Diana.

The amphitheatre was set in an almost circular dome design, so the girls fanned out down the rows to prevent Ronnie from escaping. _Patty_ lifted up on of the chairs and chucked it at Ronnie, then followed it up with her attack. _Lila_ retaliated and attacked with her crescent beam attack.

_Helga_, however, was frozen in place, lost in thought.

"He's not trying to escape…or harvest energy…what's the point?"

"_Helga…_" whispered a voice in _Helga's_ head.

"Arnold!" Helga gasped.

"_You have to unplug his source,_" said the voice. "_Go for his power source._"

"His power source?" _Helga_ turned around and noticed that the microphone was indeed plugged in, and that Ronnie Matthews had never let it go. This gave her an idea.

"Hey, Ronnie!" she taunted, getting his attention. "Figures you'd rely on a machine to get the job done! You're a hack! A fraud! A has-been! I bet you can't even sing!"

Indignation coloured Ronnie Matthews face. Lip quivering, he held the microphone close to his mouth and belted out, as loud as he could:

"_**Coz Yoor a Cuh-razee Ate!"**_

The entire auditorium quaked and shivered. All the senshi had lost their footing, but especially _Phoebe_, who had tripped over the cord, unplugging it from its power source.

Ronnie Matthews dropped to the ground like a ton of bricks. As he tried to regroup himself, _Helga_ took out her moon wand.

"_**Moon Healing Escalation!"**_

In a flash of light, Ronnie Matthews reverted back to normal.

"No autographs, please," he muttered, just before, passing out.

As the other girls went to inspect the damage, _Helga_ gripped the wand tightly and closed her eyes.

"Thank you," she whispered to the unseen voice who had helped her.

* * *

><p>Wasn't that a fun concert?" asked Helga. She was with Phoebe studying at the Heyerdahl household the day after.<p>

"It was stimulating, I suppose," replied Phoebe.

"You didn't buy anything from the souvenir shop," quipped Helga. "Even I got a crappy button just to make Patty happy. What kind of fan are you?"

"Please…I'd rather not be reminded. If I never hear about Ronnie Matthews again, it will be too soon."

Helga shrugged and turned on the TV to the news.

"In other news, singer/songwriter Ronnie Matthews has forgone the advice of his publicist and opted to do his remaining concerts without the aid of lipsyncing technology. His next eight stops are reported to have sold out."

As Ronnie's voice wailed like a neutered wolf on the television screen, Phoebe snapped the pencil in her hand. Helga laughed.

"Huh. Guess the fans care about more than just his singing after all."

_End of Part 9!_


	10. Chapter 9

_Part 9_

_Note: For the sake of clarity, whenever a character is in their transformed state, their name will be given in italics._

_For example:_

Helga G. Pataki = Helga

Sailor Moon = _Helga_

Diana stood with her mother, Luna. Before them was Sailor Pluto.

"Pluto…" asked Luna. "What has happened? Why are we here?"

Sailor Pluto looked at the two cats, a grave expression coloring her face. "There has been a significant event…a grave incident, that threatens to tear the space-time continuum asunder. You are the only ones I could save from the catastrophe."

"And Small Lady?" asked Diana urgently, forgetting her place. "Where is she? Is she safe?"

"I'm afraid…she has gone missing…along with the Crystal. That is why I retrieved the both of you. You must go to the endpoint of the grave incident and recover both the Small Lady and the Crystal. You will require assistance, and I cannot guarantee that the original senshi will be able to assist at the point of time which you arrive. Therefore, you must find the girls chiefly responsible for the incident, and awaken them to assist in your mission. Understand?"

"Yes," said Diana and Luna simultaneously.

Sailor Pluto raised her Garnet Rod into the air and activated its power to open the Space-Time Door. "Be careful," she cautioned. "A recent shift in the space-time continuum has made the way highly unstable."

"We'll do our best, Puu!" cried Diana, as both she and Luna dashed through the open door.

* * *

><p>Schools were cancelled throughout the city, P.S. 118 included. The earthquakes, floods, and bizarre events were getting too frequent to handle. Even more troubling was the black hole in the sky. Scientists were calling it a hole in the ozone layer, but Helga and the girls knew it meant something far worse…<p>

"I know, it's scary, right?" said Helga to Phoebe on her cell, as she peered at the hole through her window. "And I think it's getting bigger."

"Helga…" said a voice from downstairs.

"Listen, Phoebes, I gotta go. I'll talk to you later."

Helga hung up and went downstairs where, as soon as she got to the bottom of the steps, she was ambushed by a crushing hug.

"Olga?" gasped Helga, surprised.

"School's on break up in Alaska, so Olga decided to pay us a visit. Isn't that nice?" explained Miriam.

Helga struggled, trying to not-so-subtly-to pry herself from her perfect sister's grasp.

"I heard you haven't been in school lately, baby sister. So I'll be your sister-slash-personal tutor in the meantime!"

"Isn't that great?" said Big Bob, patting Helga heartily on the back.

Helga coughed. "I'm ecstatic."

* * *

><p>Lila did her homework at the coffee table. As she did, she watched, Liam, who was asleep on the couch.<p>

Also as usual, Liam started twisting and turning in his sleep.

"Poor Liam," she thought. She stood up to try and wake him when she heard the door knob jangle.

"Lila, I'm home early!"

"Liam, Liam, wake up!" Lila whispered, shaking him.

"Huh…wha…?"

"My dad's here! Quick, go in the closet!"

Lila pushed a disoriented Liam into the broom closet. At the same time, Mr. Sawyer came through the door, snow on his jacket.

"The weather's crazy out there!" he said, brushing the freshly fallen snow off his clothes. "I don't know what's going on in this city, but I don't like it!"

Lila smiled nervously. "It's almost like the world is coming to an end."

Suddenly there was a loud, banging noise coming from the closet. Lila's heart skipped a beat.

"What was that?" asked Lila's father.

"What was what? I didn't hear anything…"

"It sounded like it was coming from over there."

Lila held her breath as her father walked over to the closet. He opened the door and Lila braced herself for the inevitable.

Instead, all Lila heard was a perplexed grunt coming from her father.

"Huh," he said, scratching his head. "That was strange. Must be mice again."

"What?" quickly Lila joined her father at the entrance to the closet. Sure enough, save an old broom, some old clothes, and some workboots, the closet was completely empty.

"Impossible," Lila said to herself.

"Honey?"

"I-I have to go," said Lila, reaching for her jacket and heading out the front door. "I've got to find Diana," she thought.

* * *

><p>Diana sat in the front of the pet store on the corner of the block. Eventually, she walked inside, unbeknownst to the young pet store clerk at the counter.<p>

Diana walked over to the cat section of the shop and peered at all the unclaimed little kittens mewing in their cages.

"I know the feeling," she thought sullenly. "But I know my mother would want me to be strong. We've go to get to the bottom of this city's deterioration before it's too late…"

Moments later, Helga and her older sister, Olga entered the pet shop.

"For the last time, Olga!" Helga complained. "I don't want a pet! I had a hard enough time pawning off that monitor lizard I used to own!"

"Still, there's no harm in just looking," Olga sauntered over to the cat section, just as Diana decided to duck behind a nearby scratch-post. "Aren't they just adorable?"

"Yes, they're saccharine. Can we go now?"

"In a minute, Helga!" Excuse me, miss?" Olga tried to get the attention of the clerk behind the counter, who reluctantly tore her eyes away from the magazine she was reading.

"It must be so exhilarating to spend your time here amongst all these adorable animals!"

"I count my blessings, everyday," replied the shop clerk drily.

Helga rolled her eyes. Just then, Phoebe walked into the shop. Helga immediately took her aside.

"Finally! Did you get my message?"

"Yes, and I came as soon as I could. What's the emergency?"

"Olga's driving me nuts! You gotta bail me out!"

Phoebe frowned. "Is that it? Helga, I was practicing flower arranging with my mother!"

"Forget that! Help me find an excuse to get out of here!"

"Oh Helga," said Olga. "I didn't know you invited your friend to join us!"

"Just in time, too" said the clerk flatly. Because now it's the best part of the day: feeding time. Yay. The fun never ends."

"This. Is. Torture." whispered Helga to Phoebe.

The shop clerk walked over to the cats with a bowl and a saucer of milk. Suddenly, the bottle of milk started vibrating, then exploding, splattering all over the clerk, consumer her. Olga screamed uncontrollably as the clerk went from girl to monster in an instant.

"Well, this'll work," said Helga. "We just got to find a way to get Olga out of the way."

The milk creature pointed a finger at Olga, shooting a beam of gooey substance at her and sticking her to the wall. The creature then sprouted wings and flew out of the shop.

"Even better," said Helga, then turned to Olga. "Stick around, we'll be right back – let's go, Phoebes!" And with that, she and Phoebe left in hot pursuit of the monster.

Diana felt bad for Helga's sister so she unlocked the cages and let the cats out, who made short work of the goo (which turned out to be nothing more than sticky milk)

"Wha…where…huh?" Olga stopped screaming but was still in a mindstate of hysterics. Diana rubbed against Olga's leg to get her attention and mewed at her, signaling her to follow.

* * *

><p><em>Helga<em> and _Phoebe_ were already in their sailor senshi forms when they cornered the milk monster.

"Let me guess," said _Helga_. "You can't detect a weak spot."

_Phoebe_ nodded. "Well, that's just perfect. I think you'd better call the others and get them down here."

But the monster shot the cell phone out of her hand. It then shot the gooey substance at both _Helga's_ and _Phoebe's_ feet, making them unable to move.

"You leave my baby sister alone!" yelled a voice from several yards away.

"Olga?"

Olga jumped on the monster, which went _splat!_ on the ground, and the two futilely wrestled.

"Olga, quit being stupid, you'll get yourself killed!"

"No one harms my baby sister!"

Meanwhile, Lila finally caught up with the sleepwalking Liam.

"Liam, wake up!" she turned him around to get his attention.

Suddenly his eyes shot open, fearful and delirious. Liam grabbed his head with both hands and kneeled to the ground.

"Liam! Liam, snap out of it! You're awake!"

But that was the problem; as Liam knelt to the ground, he kept shifting from his human form to a weird, shapeless, shadow entity.

At the same time, the milk fairy was shifting in the same manner, until eventually it simply vanished.

Phoebe and Helga were free from their bondage and Olga was wrestling herself on the ground until she realized the monster was gone.

"Oh," she said, slightly embarrassed. "What happened?"

"That's what I'd like to know," muttered Helga.

* * *

><p>Lila took a step back. "You're…you're one of them…?"<p>

Liam groaned in pain. "No…Lila, I know who you are…but I'm not who you think I am…"

"Liam…"

"This is all my fault," he strained through gritted teeth to get the words out. "The city is collapsing because of my existence. I only find peace when I'm asleep, but then I have these nightmares, and, I shouldn't even be here!"

"Where are you really from?"

"I can't say…nowhere in particular. That's the problem. I've been occupying some sort of negative, alternate dimensional space…with my mother. But then…something happened. Something broke or changed, I don't know…and I was thrust out, with no way to get back…every second I spend in this place, I suffer constant pain…"

"Liam…"

"Then I met you, and somehow, being around you made me feel better. But I have no idea how to get back. I'm dying. And this world is dying. You'll have to destroy me."

"But didn't you say…?"

"From the outside. From the inside, I feel like something bigger than me is causing all this. That's why you have to go inside my dreams and destroy that which is destroying me before I destroy this entire planet."

_End of Part 9!_


	11. Chapter 10

_Part 10_

_Note: For the sake of clarity, whenever a character is in their transformed state, their name will be given in italics._

_For example:_

Helga G. Pataki = Helga

Sailor Moon = _Helga_

The girls all sat solemnly in a circle in Helga's room, with Diana taking up the space in the centre. Liam sat quietly on the bed, in silence.

"Wow," said Rhonda. "I can't believe that this is it."

"After all we've been through," continued Phoebe. "It could finally be over."

Lila winced at the word 'over'.

"Come on, you guys," cautioned Patty. "Show some sympathy. This isn't exactly an easy thing for all of us."

"That's right," agreed Diana. "In case you've forgotten, we're asking someone to risk their life to save this city."

"Not only that…" all heads turned to look at Liam, who took to looking vacantly out the window. "But all of you. You'll be risking a great lot as well. I know my dreams. They're not safe. Some of you may…"

Helga snorted audibly, interrupting Liam; she stood up to make her point heard. "Look – we're no strangers to danger. We've been smashed, beaten, burnt, drowned…we've suffered unbearable pains, both physically and…and otherwise. But in the end, we've always came out in one piece."

"Do you really believe that?" asked Lila.

"Absolutely. It's an in-and-out operation. Nothing's going to go wrong."

The door opened unexpectedly, and Diana shot under the bed. Liam disappeared into shadow and stood in the darkened corner of the room.

"Olga!" said Helga angrily. "Criminy, ever heard of knocking?"

"I'm sorry," Olga said at the entrance. "I hope I'm not disturbing anything…"

"Well, you are, so can you come back a little later?"

"Actually, I think we're done here," said Lila. "We'll talk again tomorrow. There's some things I need to take care of."

"Me too," said Patty.

"I also have some unfinished business to attend to," said Phoebe.

"See you tomorrow, Helga," said Rhonda, who was the last of the girls to leave the room (Diana quietly trailed behind). Liam nodded furtively to Helga, then vanished completely out of the room. It was just the two Pataki sisters alone now.

"Well, if you're done barging in and interrupting us, I've got chores to do…"

"Helga…"

"What?"

"I heard you, Helga."

Helga froze mid-motion to her closet. "H-how much did you hear?"

"Enough. Is Hillwood really in danger of…?"

"…Yes."

"And you and…and the other girls are the only ones who could stop it?"

"This doesn't concern you, Olga. So don't try to talk me out of it or try to guilt-trip me because I'm your baby sister or…"

Suddenly Helga was caught in an embrace. As usual, Olga's mascara was running from the tears.

"You're my sister, Helga. But you're not a baby anymore."

"Uh, Olga….?"

"I believe in you, Helga. I know what you're capable of. And I know that…despite everything that you've been through…you'll do what you needs to be done."

Olga held Helga even closer. "You're strong. Stronger than I could ever be. Save the city. We'll all be rooting for you."

Helga quickly wiped her eyes, then nodded to Olga in compliance. Olga sighed dramatically and looked into Helga's eyes. "My sister's going to save the world."

Helga rolled her eyes. "Oh, Criminy…"

They both laughed. Then Helga hugged her sister one last time.

* * *

><p>Lilat emerged from her room, and was surprised to see her father sitting on the couch, looking at an old photograph.<p>

"Daddy," asked Lila cautiously. "What are you doing?"

"Oh…just reminiscing, honey," replied her father. The photo was of Lila, her father and mother, and was taken in Pleasantville. In the photograph Lila was still an infant, and she was being cradled in her mother's arms.

Lila's father sighed heavily, a weary look dressed his face. "Things were so much simpler back then. Sometimes I wonder if I've made the right decision after your mother's death, leaving Pleasantville and moving you to the city."

"You didn't have a choice," said Lila. "You were going to lose the farm and…"

"I know, I know," said her father, waving her off before she could finish. "I just wish…I just feel that things should have been different, you know?"

At that, Lila didn't know what to say.

"Did you want to talk to me about something, honey?"

Lila shook her head. She crossed the space between them in the living room and hugged her father with all her might.

"I love you, daddy. And everything will be okay."

A low rumble had emanated outside. At first it seemed like thunder, but then it went on to shake the entire foundation of the house.

It would be okay, Lila thought to herself. And if she believed it strongly enough, perhaps it would be true.

* * *

><p>It was late night at the Sawyer household. Lila's father was out as usual, working. Liam lay on the couch, awake, while the girls in their senshi forms stood around him.<p>

"So, how is this going to work?" asked _Rhonda_.

"Well, Liam needs to be asleep," explained Diana. "I'll use what power I have to sedate him and keep him from awaking. As for you five…you'll have to warp into his mind while he's dreaming."

"Mind explaining how the heck we're supposed to do that?" asked _Helga_.

"All of you will have to pool your energy to accomplish a Sailor Teleport. It should get you exactly where you need to be to seek out the source of Liam's nightmares and destroy it."

"And we should be able to teleport out after, right?" asked _Phoebe_.

Diana balked. "It should be possible…"

"W-wait a minute," said _Helga_, a little nervously. "You're not CERTAIN?"

"_Well _the teleport isn't an exact science…"

_Helga_ buried her head in her hands. _Phoebe_ and _Rhonda_ looked at each other uneasily.

"I don't know about this," admitted _Patty_.

"The fate of the city's at stake!" chimed in _Lila_. "We're not just doing this for us. We're doing this for everyone we love and care about."

"But what if we can't come back?" retorted _Rhonda_. "This just seems too risky…!"

As the other four girls debated amongst themselves, _Helga_ removed herself from the group to be alone for a moment.

"I don't know what I should do…" _Helga_ said to herself, quietly.

She was expecting to hear Arnold's voice, as before, but no response came. It was at that point that she realized she would be all alone in her decision. This was one choice that she would have to make on her own.

"Miss Helga," asked Diana. "Are you all right?"

The arguing stopped long enough for everyone to take notice of _Helga_ by herself, facing away from them.

"What do you say?"

The room was silent for the longest time. Finally, _Helga_ turned and nodded to the group.

"It's now or never. Let's do this."

The girls stood around Liam once again. Diana sat on Liam's chest and stared at him intently.

"Just try to relax, okay?"

"Uh, I'll try…" said Liam, not feeling at all at ease by the situation.

Diana closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. When she opened them again, her crescent moon glowed brightly, and shot a beam directly onto Liam's forehead. Almost instantly, Liam closed his eyes and fell into a deep slumber.

"How long can he stay like that?" asked _Phoebe_.

"As long as it takes," replied Diana. "Now is your chance to attempt the teleport."

_Helga_, _Rhonda_, _Phoebe_, _Patty_, and _Lila_ gathered in a circle in front of Liam and held hands.

_**Mercury Power, Make-up!**_

_**Mars Power, Make-up!**_

_**Jupiter Power, Make-up!**_

_**Venus Power, Make-up!**_

_**Moon Prism Power, Make-up!**_

The girls began to glow; then in a blast strong enough to smash the windows, they vanished completely from the room.

"Good luck, girls," said Diana.

* * *

><p>The five girls reappeared in a deep in the belly of a deep, dark cavern.<p>

"I think we messed up," _Rhonda_ said disappointedly. "This looks a lot like the caves on Elk Island.

"I wouldn't bet on that," said _Phoebe_, immediately activating her visor. "This place is swarming with negative energy. We're definitely in Liam's dreams."

"Goodie," _Helga_ said, sarcastically. "So what now?"

"I suppose we should find a way out of the cave first, then track down the source of the energy," replied _Phoebe_.

"Sounds like a plan," said _Patty_.

"Well, no point in just standing around – let's get moving!" _Helga_ led the way as they walked single-file down the vast caverns. Aside from the sound of the occasional drip of moisture coming from the overhead stalactites, they went along unheeded/unhindered.

"This isn't so bad…" commented _Lila_.

"See? What did I tell you?" said _Helga_ confidently. "We'll be in and out in no time."

"Wait a minute…" the girls paused as _Phoebe_ appeared to stare past them, studying something of interest on her visor screen. "There's something up ahead."

The sound of approaching footsteps echoed off the cavern walls from the darkness. The girls braced themselves for the encounter with the mysterious "something". Finally, a girl came into a view.

"It can't be…" said _Phoebe_.

The girl had shoulder-length red-hair and freckles.

"No way…" said _Rhonda_

She too was wearing a sailor uniform, but it was solid black.

"I don't believe it…" said _Patty_.

As the girl approached ever closer, the other senshi could see that she had no pupils; rather, her eyes were nothing more than orbs of pitch black. Helga looked at the stranger in disbelief, then turned to look at _Lila_, who was the most horror-stricken of all.

"Lila…it's YOU."

The black-eyed Lila grinned maliciously at _Lila_, who was still too stunned to speak.

"Phoebe, what the heck is that thing?" asked _Rhonda_. "Why does it look like Lila?"

"I-I don't know…" said _Phoebe_ anxiously. "My visor doesn't say."

"Is THAT the source of the energy?" asked _Patty_.

"I seriously doubt it…"

The black-eyed Lila pointed to the original, which caused the other senshi to stand in front of her to protect her.

"What does it want?"

"It wants ME," _Lila_ finally spoke.

"Well, it's not getting you!" snapped _Helga_.

"It won't let you pass until I give myself up,"

_Helga_ looked at _Lila_ as if she had grown a second head. "Are you _nuts_? I don't know what (the heck) this thing is, but you can be sure we're going to fight it!"

"Helga…no," _Lila_ moved past _Helga_ and the others and towards the ominous doppelganger.

"Lila…er, Venus…whatever…you get back here right now!" yelled _Helga_. "That's an order!"

"This is something I have to do," said _Lila_; the tone in her voice sounded so certain, as if she had come to some grand epiphany. _Lila_ walked towards the black-eyed clone. "Let the others go. It's me you want."

The black-eyed Lila's eyes narrowed, but she grinned even more broadly as she struck a hand straight for _Lila's_ neck.

"Lila!" yelled the others.

"Don't worry, Lila – we'll save you!" _Rhonda_ got ready to attack. "Fire So…!"

But suddenly the black Lila had changed into a black shapeless smoke and went inside _Lila's_ body. _Lila_ knelt to the ground and gripped her neck with both her hands. On the outside she appeared fine, but there was definitely some sort of struggle going on inside her.

"Lila…!" _Helga_ ran towards her, but _Lila_ used one her hands to motion for her to stop.

"Get out of here," _Lila_ strained to say. "Run."

"Lila…"

"_**Venus Crescent Beam!**_" _Lila_ shot her attack at the ceiling of the cave, causing the entire cavern to quake.

"The cavern is collapsing!" cried _Phoebe_.

"Let's go!" yelled _Rhonda_.

"Patty, grab Lila!" commanded _Helga_. _Patty_ nodded and went for _Lila_, but was thrown back by an invisible force field around her.

"Go," repeated _Lila_.

"We're not leaving without you!" argued _Helga_.

But _Lila_ pointed her hand at _Helga_ and blasted her several yards away. Rocks were falling from the ceiling. Helga and the others had no choice but to run towards the exit.

When they reached the outside of the cave, the entrance was blocked off by several large boulders. _Helga_, _Phoebe_, _Rhonda_, and _Patty_ stared in shock as the dust quietly settled around the only way out of the cavern.

_Helga_ got up and began pulling on one of the boulders that was ten times her size.

"We've got to go back," she said, tugging futilely on the boulder that wouldn't so much as budge. "We've got to get Lila…!"

"Helga…" _Phoebe_ said quietly.

"Help me move this! We can't leave Lila behind…!"

"Helga, please stop!"

"We can't leave her behind, we're a team…!"

"Helga…!"

"I'M NOT GOING TO LOSE ANYONE ELSE!" she turned and screamed at her teammate. She then collapsed onto the boulder and sobbed hysterically. _Rhonda_ and _Patty_ were still too shocked to react. _Phoebe_ moved slowly towards Helga. She turned her around so that she could look at her.

"_We can't leave her beh-!"_

But _Helga_ was abruptly cut off; _Phoebe_ had slapped her across the face.

"Look at me," said _Phoebe_. "We. Can't. Go. Back. Besides…we don't know the entire cavern. Perhaps Lila had found another way out. We'll never meet up with her if we stay here. We have to keep moving."

Too stricken from the slap, _Helga_ could only nod slowly. _Phoebe_ helped _Helga_ on her feet. Not saying another word, _Helga_ walked forward. The other scouts followed behind as they moved into a strange lush forest area.

* * *

><p>It was almost like a jungle; there were vines strewn everywhere and across the team's walking path.<p>

"So where are we now?" asked _Rhonda_, knocking a low-hanging vine out of her way.

"Another part of Liam's dream," replied _Phoebe_, still focused on her visor. "Liam wasn't kidding when they said the dreams were unpredictable."

"Are we close to the source?' inquired _Patty_.

_Phoebe_ shook her head and pointed straight ahead. "Approximately 4.2 miles in that direction."

"Thank goodness for that computer thing you've got, Phoebe," remarked _Rhonda_.

All of a sudden, something zipped through the trees and struck _Phoebe_ in the side of the neck.

"Oww!" _Phoebe_ fell to the ground in surprise; _Rhonda_ and _Patty_ went into a defensive stance. _Helga_ turned around and immediately came to her friend's aid.

"What happened?" she asked frantically. _Phoebe_ pulled the culprit, a dart, from her neck, and threw it to the ground. "Are you alright? Say something!"

"I'm fine," _Phoebe_ said, quickly getting to her feet and brushing herself off. "I was merely startled. Let's move on, shall we?"

"Time out – you were just attacked!" said _Rhonda_. "Don't you think we should check this out?" _Patty_ picked up the dart and inspected it, turning it over several times in her hand.

"She's right," said _Patty_. "What if you've been poisoned? You'd better analyze this dart."

"Very well," said _Phoebe_, an exasperated edge to her voice. She studied the dart briefly, then turned off her visor. "Like I said, the injury is negligible. We should press on."

"Negligible, huh? Well, what's that on your neck?" _Helga_ pointed to the glowing red mark that appeared where the dart and struck _Phoebe_ in the neck.

"It looks like a Chinese symbol. See?" _Rhonda_ held up her compact mirror at such an angle that Phoebe could get a good look at the mark.

Phoebe took a brief look then walked away.

"What does that mean?" pressed _Rhonda_

"Probably nothing. Shall we?"

Though the others were still concerned for the welfare of _Phoebe_, they hid it from her and decided to continue onward.

Eventually, the group of four reached a clearing that opened up to a huge, steep escarpment overlooking a swamp far below.

Out of _Phoebe's_ peripheral vision, she saw a figure fast-approaching, and shooting another dart towards the team.

"Look out!" _Phoebe_ pushed _Rhonda_ out of the way just in time, as a dart zipped by and hit the side of tree. Now all eyes were on the birdlike warrior coming their way.

The bird creature was initially heading straight for _Helga_, but was cut off when _Patty_ grabbed in and threw it to the ground.

"Yeah! Alright, _Patty_!" cheered _Helga_.

The bird creature let out an ungodly squawk, then kicked _Patty_ hard in the ribs, knocking her back. The creature then used its winged-arm appendages to fly towards _Helga_ a second time, but _Patty_ had grabbed it by its long tail feathers and swung it around several times before smashing it again into the earth.

By now, _Rhonda_ and _Phoebe_ had gotten back on their feet and were ready to join the fight. _Rhonda_ approached the creature, leaving about 5 meters between them. _**"Fire Soul!"**_

A string of flames threatened to engulf the monster, but at the last minute it shielded itself with its massive wings, completely extinguishing the flames.

"No good," said _Phoebe_. "Those wings are impervious to our powers. "

Once again, the bird creature went for _Helga_, but once again, it was cut off as _Patty_ had wrestled it to the ground. _Helga_ had her wand in her hand and was preparing to use it."

"It looks as though it's attracted to the Crystal for some reason," deduced _Phoebe_.

"Well, if it wants it, it can have it!" _Helga_ waved her moon wand once and then directed it at the creature. _**"Moon Healing Escalation!"**_

The move had no effect; rather, it enraged the monster even more, to the point where it almost went berserk. Several darts shot out from its body in all directions, though the girls were able to dodge these ones by hiding in the fringe of trees near the clearing's border.

"Patty, get out of there!" yelled _Rhonda_. "We can't fight this thing!"

Faster and faster the bird creature flapped its wings, until it was a few feet off the ground. _Patty_ had held on to the creature's feet, so she was hovering off the ground as well. All the while, the bird was shooting the same darts as before.

"Look, it's trying to get away!" pointed out _Rhonda_. Sure enough, the bird was making its way for the edge of escarpment. _Patty_, however, refused to let go of the creature's legs.

"Patty! Patty, you idiot! Let go of it! If you don't come back here right now, I'm calling you Fatty Patty for the rest of your life!"

_Patty's_ legs dangled off the edge of the cliff as the bird creature struggled to retreat. Eventually the added weight proved too much for it, and both and _Patty_ fell to the swamp below. As they plummeted, _Patty_ wrapped her arms tightly around the monster so that it couldn't get away.

"_**Supreme Thunder**__**!"**_

There was a huge bolt of lightning, followed by the blinding flash of light. And then silence. _Phoebe_, _Helga_, and _Rhonda_ walked over to the edge of the escarpment and cautioned a look over the edge. The swamp bubbled furiously and was completely littered with feathers.

There was no sign of _Patty_.

* * *

><p>The three remaining girls trudged in silence, with <em>Helga<em> taking the lead.

At one point, _Rhonda_ paused. "Look at that," she said, pointing ahead. There, in the distance, a tall dark tower loomed in the horizon.

"Let me guess – that's where we're supposed to be?" _Helga_ turned to get _Phoebe's_ response in the form of a solemn nod.

"Well, we better get a move on, we've got a lot of ground to cover."

"Um…" interrupted _Rhonda_. "Do you guys get the feeling that we're being watched?"

_Helga_ looked around. "I don't see anything…"

Suddenly, _Rhonda_ shrieked. Out of thin air, a very large eye appeared in front of them.

"Phoebe, what the heck is that thing?...Hey, Phoebes!" _Helga_ yelled at her teammate, who seemed to be in her own little world. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," replied _Phoebe_. "I'm just a little lightheaded…"

"I think that thing really did poison you!"

As _Helga_ focused on _Phoebe_, the eye disappeared, giving way to what looked like a wormhole. Inside the wormhole were millions upon millions of pale arms with hands reaching out blindly for anything to grab. Some of the hands were reaching outward from the hole.

Suddenly, air was being sucked into the vortex, pulling anything and everything in the vicinity within.

"We've got to find something to grab onto! Come on, Phoebes!" _Helga_ grabbed onto the weakened _Phoebe_ and fought the pull of the vortex by hooking her wand to a branch on one of the trees. _Rhonda_ crawled her way to another tree and held on tightly to the trunk.

The outreaching hands began to spin furiously, and as they did, the vacuum of the vortex increased in intensity.

"Helga…" said _Phoebe_. "I don't think I can hold on any longer…" Before finishing her sentence, _Phoebe's_ grip had loosened on the branch, and she had let go.

"Phoebe!" Helga grabbed onto _Phoebe's_ hand just in time, so now she was just holding onto the tree branch with one hand.

To make matters worse, the branch was starting to give under the added stress and was starting to break free from its position on the tree. _Rhonda_ had noticed this, but she knew _Helga_ and _Phoebe_ wouldn't. _Rhonda_ turned and looked at the vortex, the hands still spinning.

"_**Fire Soul!"**_ _Rhonda_ shot the flames at the vortex, but they were quickly sucked into the wormhole. However, when they reached the arms within the vortex, the wormhole appeared to convulse momentarily.

_Rhonda_ looked over at her teammates, who were holding on for dear life.

"Hey….Helga….!" she yelled over the roar of the vacuum.

Helga struggled to glance over without loosening her grip. "Kinda busy here, Rhonda-loid – what?"

_Rhonda_ smiled faintly. "I'm sorry….that I never invited you to any of my sleep-overs…."

"What are you talking about?"

"If it's any consolation…I was always jealous of your toughness. Your no-nonense attitude…Maybe if I wasn't so obsessed about being cool, we could've been friends…"

"Rhonda…"

"Say goodbye to Nadine for me…" _Rhonda_ let go of the tree.

"Rhonda!" But it was too late, and _Rhonda_ was sucked into the vortex. Seconds later, they could here her voice from deep inside the wormhole.

"_**FIRE SOUL!"**_

Flames literally exploded from within the wormhole, burning the hands that writhed on the outside until they charred to ashes. The vortex convulsed violently, then finally blinked out of existence.

The branch that _Helga_ had held onto finally broke, and with no sucking force of the vacuum, both she and _Phoebe_ fell hard to the ground with the full force of gravity.

Neither girl was harmed, but it took several minutes before either made the effort to stand up.

* * *

><p>There was still a way to go to close the remaining distance to the tower, and the trek was slow-going.<p>

_Phoebe's_ condition was deteriorating, and fast. It had gotten to the point where _Helga_ had to support her as she walked, for her legs kept giving way. She was pale and she was sweating, but otherwise still cogent, and constantly reassured _Helga_ that she would be okay.

At last they reached tower. The building was as ominous as it was threatening, piercing the orange sky with its dark, crystalline structure.

The tower was separated from the rest of the area by a drawbridge. But rather than be surrounded by water, a dark nothingness was underneath.

The drawbridge lowered slowly, and _Helga_ and _Phoebe_ hobbled across.

"We're here…" _Phoebe_ said weakly.

"Save your strength, Phoebes," chided _Helga_. "We're going to need it for whatever big bad it is we'll have to fight."

Just as they passed the threshold, _Phoebe_ let out a sigh and crumpled to the ground.

"Phoebe? Phoebe! Snap out of it!" _Helga_ knelt down and shook _Phoebe_ until she regained consciousness. _Phoebe's_ gaze had an almost dreamlike gaze that frightened her best friend.

"What's happening to you?"

It was then that _Helga_ caught sight of the mark on _Phoebe's_ neck. It was bright red, and looked as though it was searing straight through her skin.

"Do you remember….when I tried to teach you Japanese?"

"Yeah, I was terrible at it…I barely got through the numbers…"

"Do you remember…_shi_?"

"Sure, that's 4…I think."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah, you mentioned how 4 is an unlucky number because it could also mean…"

_Helga_ froze. She looked hard at _Phoebe_, who merely closed her eyes. "So now you know."

"Hey…_hey!_ Why wouldn't you tell me sooner?"

_Phoebe_ took a long time to respond. "I didn't want to worry you and the others. We had just lost Lila and the last thing I wanted you to think was that we were being hunted one by one."

"Hunted?"

_Phoebe_ went silent.

"_Hey!_ Don't you give up on me! We can still do this! I…I can't do it without you!"

Slowly _Phoebe_ opened her eyes again, and used her last ounce of strength to point. "It's up to you now. Keeping walking straight ahead. Confront the source."

"Then we can go home, right?

"Right…" _Phoebe_ went to sleep.

"Phoebe? Phoebe!" _Helga_ shook her, but this time she wouldn't wake up. A light mist surrounded her as she went from opaque to transluscent, and then transparent. _Phoebe_ was dissolving.

"Phoebe…" _Helga_ held her best friend with all her might until there was nothing left to hold. All that remained was _Phoebe's_ glasses. _Helga_ cradled them in her arms, stood and walked forward.

* * *

><p>The corridor seemed endless. Helga <em>walked<em> in almost aimless straight line, totally numb.

First Lila. Then Patty and Rhonda. Now finally her best friend Phoebe.

Gone. All gone.

At this point _Helga_ no longer cared if she ever found the source of Hillwood's demise, or if she even found a way home. This was no success; she couldn't face Diana as the only survivor.

_Helga's_ zombie gait was interrupted when she reached a large gap within the tower. The corridor continued on the other side of the gap, but the gap was bottomless, just a big black void of nothingness.

Finally, _Helga_ could hold it in no longer. She knelt to the floor and collapsed in loud, shuddering sobs.

"You jerks!" she spat bitterly, between tears. "How could all leave me to do this on my own?" She splayed out on the ground so that her cheek could feel the coolness of the floor. "I'm the worst leader ever."

But she had no time to feel sorry for herself. _Helga_ abruptly stood up and wiped her face. "Don't worry, you guys. I won't let your sacrifices be in vain."

_Helga_ mentally assessed the distance of the gap. She backed up so that she was at least ten feet from the edge. Then she made a running start.

At the edge of the gap she gave a diving leap towards the opposite end. Unfortunately she only made it halfway before dropping like a rock.

"Well, at least I tried…" thought _Helga_, not at all bothered that that could be her very last though.

But suddenly _Helga_ stopped falling, and started to slowly rise. Somehow the glasses in her hands had vanished and transformed into a giant blue bubble, which she was now occupying.

_Helga_ sat patiently as the bubble glided harmlessly over the gap and transported her safely on the other side. When _Helga_ was finally hovering over solid ground again, the bubble popped into several smaller bubbles, releasing her.

"Good luck," whispered Phoebe's voice from the smaller bubbles before they dissipated.

Up ahead, _Helga_ detected a faint glowing light. Certain that she had finally found the source, _Helga_ ran towards the light. When she was mere inches away, _Helga_ reached out to touch it.

Suddenly the world around her shifted.

* * *

><p>When <em>Helga<em> opened her eyes, she was surprised to find herself in the room of the house. It was a small house, and modestly furnished with a sofa and table.

What particularly caught _Helga's_ eye was the sight right outside. The sky was on fire, and spilling destruction onto the civilians of a doomed city in the distance. The city looked almost exactly like Hillwood, and yet _Helga_ was sure that it was not…

"Am I…dreaming?" said _Helga_ to herself.

_Helga_ turned when she heard the sound of creaking wood coming from the room. There, sitting on the opposite corner of the room, a young woman was rocking slowly on a rocking chair. _Helga_ couldn't see the woman's face, as she was facing away from her, but she did notice that she had long, red, waist-length hair.

With the utmost caution, _Helga_ approached the woman. At first she thought that she'd be able to surprise her, but then the woman spoke.

"You are here," said the woman.

"Are you the source? The source of Liam's nightmares?" asked _Helga_.

"How dare you show your face in my household. After what you've done."

"Excuse me?"

"You and your family. They destroyed mine. You robbed me of my family. Of my happiness."

"What are you talking about? You mean Liam? Is Liam your son?"

The woman stopped rocking. "When will your kind learn that destruction is inevitable? Chaos is a natural progression in the cycle of the universe. Last Haste was doomed to fall. But you had the gall to challenge that fate, and in the process I was robbed of happiness."

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about! I don't remember anything about this Last Haste place! And as far as Liam is concerned, if that's what this is all about, I can take him to you right now!"

"No. I have a new son."

The house and all of its surroundings vanished so that it was just _Helga_ and the woman standing in a void of nothing.

_Helga_ detected the sound of footsteps approaching behind her. She turned around quickly. Her heart leapt as she refused to belief what was before her eyes.

"Arnold!"

Arnold stood if front of _Helga_, his expression blank. When she realized that he wasn't reacting normally, Helga scowled angrily at the woman in the rocking chair.

"What did you do to him?"

The woman resumed rocking. "You took away the ones I love. So I've done the same for you."

"Arnold…Arnold, snap out of it! It's me, it's Helga!"

Suddenly _Helga_ felt a jolt and was hurled violently back. When she got over the intial shock, she realized that Arnold had a look of pure hatred on his face.

"Of course he wouldn't be happy to see you," said the woman in the chair. "Why would anyone be fond of a person who calls you a "football-head"?"

"Arnold, I…" _Helga_ shrieked as she was struck back by the mere menace of his gaze.

"Did you honestly think he would forget so easily what you've put him through? The teasing, the taunts, the pranks, the put-downs, the embarrassments, the bossiness. Face it, you've made Arnold's life a living hell."

_Helga_ stood up and walked toward Arnold again, only to get blasted even more powerfully than before. _Helga_ screamed in pain as she felt her arm break from underneath her.

"I hate you, Helga!" said Arnold.

_Helga_ looked at Arnold in sheer horror. The pain of her broken limb was nothing compared to the unadulterated malice nearly seeping from the boy.

"It hurts, does it not?" asked the woman, as if reading _Helga's_ mind. "Maybe now you understand the torment that I had to endure. Unlike you, however, I'll show you the mercy you never had the capacity to offer me. I'll let Arnold end your life."

_Helga_ struggled to her feet. Clutching her broken arm, she limped towards Arnold.

"I hate you, Helga!" Arnold repeated.

_Helga_ shook her head slowly, and actually smiled a bit. "You don't mean that."

"I hate you!" The force of Arnold's malice threatened to knock _Helga_ down again, but this time she stood her ground.

"She's got your mind all twisted up and flipped around. You don't know what you're saying. You don't hate me. You're not capable of it."

She continued to approach Arnold, who actually began to back away from Helga with a look of uncertainty at the woman in the chair for guidance.

"Stop trying to manipulate my son." Helga was hurtled a great distance and hit the ground with a deafening thud, a senshi no longer. This time she was definitely hurt, as she couldn't get off her back.

Arnold came to her side and stared down at the injured Helga with the same look of malice as before.

"Kill her," ordered the woman. "Kill this girl. Do it for your Mother."

Helga looked at Arnold with pleading eyes, but his gaze was unreceptive. Arnold clenched his fists and raised one with the intent to strike Helga…

Arnold froze midway. Holding it with her unbroken arm, the bloodied and bruised Helga held her locket right in Arnold's face. At that moment, Arnold was literally staring Helga's true feelings right in the face.

"Arnold…" Helga choked out, ignoring the taste of blood in her mouth. "Listen to me. I know that I make fun of you. I know that I call you a football-head and a klutz. And I know that on the outside, I may seem pushy and overbearing, and overall just a really mean person…but on the inside, I'm really not all that bad. I don't hate you…quite the contrary…I like you, I mean, I like you like you…heck, as a matter of fact, I guess you could say that I'm deeply, _deeply_ in love with you."

"I….I…" A brief glimmer of humanity returned to Arnold's eyes. He knelt down beside Helga and cupped his hands around her hand that was still clutching the locket.

"So now the secret's out," said Helga softly. "This is the deep, dark, torment of my soul that I've been holding in for 9 years. Better late than never, huh?"

Tears came from Arnold eyes. "All this time…ever since Future Tech…I had a feeling…I was just never sure…Helga…I'm so sorry…"

"It's not your fault. I wasn't ready yet. It took a near-death experience for me to finally get off my butt and confess. But now none of that matters, because I finally have you. I knew in my heart you were still alive…"

Arnold embraced Helga. Helga grabbed onto him as hard as she possibly could with one free hand.

"My son…my son! I've lost you again!" the woman buried her head in her hands and both she and her rocking chair disappeared in a ripple of dark energy.

"Is it over?" asked Arnold.

"I don't think so. She's going to destroy Hillwood. I've got to stop her."

"You're in no condition to fight."

"Don't be stupid, football-head. If I don't fight, then we all die."

"I just wish I could help…wait a minute! This time I can!"

"What are you talking about?"

The day I was rescued from the fire, I felt this weird energy, like something was put inside me. I'm not sure what it is, but I think it's powerful. Actually…I think it's what's keeping me alive right now."

Helga looked at Arnold gravely. "Arnold…no. No way. I can't accept that."

"But Helga – "

"Arnold, you'll die!"

Arnold was taken aback when Helga had yelled. "I can't stand the thought of losing you again…"

This time it was Arnold's turn to get serious. "Helga, you've gone this far for the ones that you love…it's time that I do the same…"

Helga said nothing, but lowered her head and sobbed quietly.

"Let me help you?"

"On one condition?"

"Sure."

"Kiss me."

Arnold looked at Helga earnestly, then leaned down to her level and gave her a long kiss on the lips. As they kissed in the nothingness, both Arnold and the moon wand began to glow. As the millions of tiny specks embedded within Arnold lit up and were taken into the wand, he smiled, then faded away completely.

Helga was healed, the moon wand had absorbed the second half of the crystal, and she became Sailor Moon once again. There was no more time for tears. She had a job to do.

* * *

><p>A distraught woman with red hair stood alone in the nothingness.<p>

"I will make them all suffer," she said, clenching her fists in determination. "They will all feel my pain."

Meanwhile, in the Sawyers' living room, Diana was thrown off-guard when Liam woke up of his own accord.

"Liam? What's wrong?" Diana asked anxiously.

Liam sat up and gripped his sides, doubling over in pain. "I'm sorry…" he gasped. "She's trying to get out…I can't hold her any longer….!"

An aura of shadow enveloped the red-haired boy just as the entire city began to quake. The tremors were strong enough to cause the streets outside to split and the trees to uproot.

Diana lost her footing and slid into the wall of the house. "Miss Helga, you have to hurry!"

* * *

><p>The woman sensed she was not alone. She glanced over her shoulder; sure enough, <em>Helga<em> stood right behind her.

The woman stared at her icily. "You just won't quit, will you?"

_Helga_ returned the woman's expression with a smirk. "Quitting's not in my vocabulary. Too much is on the line."

The red-haired woman turned to face _Helga_ head-on. She then pointed her open palm at her to shoot out an invisible attack. This time, however, a previously-unseen barrier had protected _Helga_ from the full force of the attack.

"So you have the full power of the Crystal," said the woman. "No matter, you still won't be able to stop me. Even as we speak, your city is on its last minutes."

"Go ahead," _Helga_ shot back matter-of-factly. "It won't bring your family back."

At that the woman blanched. "Shut up!" She set an unrelenting wave of energy at _Helga_, testing the full strength of the barrier. _Helga_ resisted the attack, but she knew she wouldn't be able to keep it up indefinitely.

"Time to see what this hunk of rock can do/is truly capable of," Helga said to herself. "Imperium Silver Crystal…help me out here….give me something…_anything_…that will make this woman see the light."

There was a bright flash of light, momentarily blinding the woman. When her eyes had adjusted, she was surprised to see _Helga_ flanked at three sides by three strange women.

"That little brat…!" choked out the redhead.

On one side stood a stylishly-dressed woman with waist-long raven black hair, on the other side stood a woman in a conservative business-suit wearing glasses with her black hair pinned into a bun. The woman who stood in front was brawnier than the other two, and wearing military fatigues; her messy hair was covered by a beret.

"What is this?" snapped the red-headed woman furiously. "Stop defending that girl! Can't you see she's responsible for my family's…!"

The woman in fatigues moved aside so there was a clear view of the person standing behind her. The redhead gasped.

Physically, the girl looked the same as Helga, but her whole demeanor was dramatically different, like a completely different soul was occupying her. Her blonde hair was in the odango hairstyle of Sailor Moon, but her white lace dress resembled that of a princess. The only thing that wasn't visible was the girl's face, which was obscured by a light, probably from the power of the Crystal.

None of this mattered to the woman; her eyes were fixated on the bundle cradled in the girl's arms, an infant girl.

Slowly the woman walked toward the baby, drawn by its light cooing. The girl handed the woman the bundle, who graciously accepted and rocked it softly in her arms. As she did this, the woman began to sob quietly.

"They are alive and well," said a voice that came from Helga's body but sounded nothing like her." Take comfort in that knowledge and please…Let go of your anger."

The woman nodded, kissing the baby on the forehead.

"Thank you," the woman simply said; she handed the baby back to _Helga_ before walking away and simply disappearing forever.

The three woman surrounded _Helga_ and linked hands as _Helga_ held on to the baby. There was a bright flash of red, blue, green, and orange before they all disappeared as well.

* * *

><p>In a bright flash of light, <em>Helga<em> reappeared in the Sawyer living room, which was noticeably missing a roof.

"It's a disaster zone, Miss Helga!" cried Diana, using her claws to desperately cling to any upholstery.

_Helga_ looked up to the sky. The sight was eerily similar to the image she saw in Liam's mind: the sky was orange and raining fire. Only difference was that Liam could be seen floating high above the house, no control over the catastrophic destruction he was causing.

"But I got rid of the source! Why is this still happening?" yelled _Helga_.

Suddenly Helga was reminded of something the redheaded woman had said earlier.

_Chaos is a natural progression in the cycle of the universe. Last Haste was doomed to fall…_

"Without chaos, there can be no order…" _Helga_ gripped the moon wand tightly. "Diana, I'm going to stop this."

Totally flummoxed by her intent, Diana could only watch as _Helga_ pointed the wand at Liam. _**"Moon Healing Escalation!"**_

Helga's body was completely awash in light, while Liam's became solid shadow. Both had combined, then exploded. At that moment, the very fabric of reality began to unravel. The city's building's crumbled and disintegrated, floating into the sky that was quickly become a void of nothingness.

In the blink of an eye, the inevitable happened. Hillwood had imploded on itself.

_End of Part 10!_


	12. Chapter 11

_Part 11_

Outer space was cold and unforgiving. It was true what they said about how in space, no one could here you scream.

No one would scream. Or shed a tear. Or even notice that in the vast expansive vacuum that is space – or non-space, actually – a young girl floated lifelessly all by herself.

Her unraveled blonde hair covered her face. Her sailor uniform, reduced to the ribbons of a failed transformation.

Helga had defeated the source, and had defeated the evil within Liam, but by using the Crystal in the process she had also extinguished her very existence, as well as the existence of Hillwood. Her friends were gone, as was the only person that she ever truly loved.

Indeed, it was a bittersweet victory.

The crystal lay dormant on Helga's chest as she floated precariously to no certain destination.

And then, a miracle.

"_Princess….Princess…"_

A pink glow emanated from the crystal.

Just then a cat-shaped orb came hurtling towards Helga.

"I found her, Small Lady."

* * *

><p>"This is it," thought Helga. "I must be dead. This must be heaven."<p>

Helga was back in her civilian pink dress and jeans, surrounded from all corners by clouds. In front of her stood a gate, which, admittedly, was less pearly-white than she had anticipated. If this was heaven, where was St. Peter and the angels?

"Maybe it's their day off," Helga thought wryly.

"Your Highness?" Behind Helga stood a tall woman in a sailor senshi uniform. Her hair was long and green and her sailor uniform was a combination of the colors green, purple, and black.

"Whoa…" Helga said under her breath. "They were way off…"

The tall scout bowed. "I am Sailor Pluto, the Guardian of Time and Gatekeeper of the Underworld. You may not recognize me, but I am the one whose Crystal Time Key you destroyed while helping a colleague."

Helga laughed nervously. "Oops. Guess I lose points for that, huh? Well, at least she got home safely, right?

"No, I'm afraid not," said Sailor Pluto. Just then Helga detected a black tailing moving behind Pluto's legs.

"Reckless as always, eh, Helga?" said the familiar feline, finally coming into view.

Helga couldn't believe her eyes. "Luna! What are you doing here?"

Without thinking, Helga scooped the black cat up into her arms and spun her around jubilantly. She then stopped abruptly, dropping Luna as a horrified look planted on her face. "Oh no…if you're here with me, then that must mean…you're dead, too."

Luna blinked. "I'm not dead, Helga. And neither are you."

"Huh?" Helga was confused. "You mean…this isn't heaven?"

Luna laughed. "Of course not!"

"This area is a gateway in the space-time continuum," explained Pluto. "From this place you can access any point in time, past present or future."

"After you had sent me on my way," said Luna. "My journey was unexpectedly interrupted by Sailor Pluto and I was brought here. She had explained that I was wrong in my assumption it was merely an over-abundance of negative energy that was preventing me from returning home, and that the problem was much more serious. I had attempted to return back to your time period to warn you that there was still much more work to be done….but was unaware you had destroyed the Time Key in your efforts to send me back."

"Luckily, Diana was also with Luna during the time of the crisis, so she was able to pick up where Luna had left off and help you accomplish your mission."

"Where is the grey lil' furball anyway?" asked Helga.

("That furball is my daughter," said a disgruntled Luna.)

"Right here, Miss Helga!" Helga heard from a distance.

"Helga, there is someone very important who would very much like to express their gratitude unto you."

"Who? The Queen of England?" joked Helga.

"You're lukewarm…" retorted Luna.

A figure shrouded in mist from the clouds approached the small group. Both Sailor Pluto and Luna bowed deeply as the figure drew near.

The young woman looked to be in her mid- to late teens, not more than 5 years older than Helga. She had a faint sense of countenance about her, which was quickly overshadowed by her childlike face and nature. What struck Helga as odd was that she went her whole life without ever seeing someone with pink hair, and yet this person was wearing it almost audaciously in two large puffy pigtails on her head.

In the woman's arms was Diana, who jumped down to properly introduce her carrier. "Presenting the daughter of Neo Queen Serenity and the future queen of Crystal Tokyo, the Small Lady, Princess ChibiUsa!"

Helga stared dubiously at the pink-haired royalty, forgetting to bow her fealty. "Uh, hi? How ya doing?"

ChibiUsa ignored Helga's faux pas and bowed briefly. "Princess Harmonia?"

Helga shook her head adamantly. "No, no…don't call me that. My name's Helga. Helga G. Pataki."

ChibiUsa's expression betrayed a sincere sense of mirth. "So that's what you became in your past life."

Helga straightened in defense. "Yeah – so what's it to you?"

ChibiUsa chuckled softly. "And yet, still as defiant as always. You honestly don't remember me?"

"A girl with pink hair and talking cats? I definitely wouldn't forget someone like that."

"Very well. Then allow me to express my utmost gratitude, Helga of Hillwood, in the retrieval, repair, and return of the Silver Crystal."

Helga scoffed. "No offense, lady – "

"That's _Small_ Lady," corrected Diana."

"Uh, right – no offense, _Small_ Lady, but I didn't do it for you. I did it so that I could get my life back. But now look at me. A fat lot of good all this sailor business did for me."

"How so?" asked ChibiUsa, curious.

"Well, there were originally five of us. There was me, there was this stylish popular girl named Rhonda, a girl with a big heart that people teased and called Big Patty because they didn't bother to know the real her…then there was a sensitive and generous redhead with freckles who I pretended to hate but really didn't called Lila, and then there was the smartest girl in the 6th grade, my best friend, Phoebe. But they're gone now…and I never got to tell them how I truly felt."

"Don't be so sure."

Helga spun around quickly. She rubbed her eyes in disbelief and stared bug-eyed at what she saw.

"WHOA!" was Helga's reaction; Phoebe, Rhonda, Patty, and Lila stood right behind her.

"Not a bad eulogy," quipped Rhonda. "I would've gone with more flair when talking about me, but whatever."

"Save it, Rhonda-loid," said Helga, but there was no ounce of anger in her voice.

"Do we know how to make an entrance, or what?" said Patty jovially.

"Come on, everyone – group hug!" the girls huddled around Helga and squeezed each other tightly until they were practically out of breath.

"There's just one thing I don't understand," said Helga. "How is this possible?"

"As I said before," reminded Sailor Pluto. "I am not only the Gatekeeper of Time but also of the Underworld. When I sensed your teammates were on the verge of death, I brought them here to the gateway. They were never in any harm's way."

"That's a relief," said Helga.

"I'll say," added Lila.

"But Helga," chimed in ChibiUsa, who was silent during the surprise reunion. "Aren't you forgetting one important person?"

All eyes were Helga now as she broke away from the others to gather her thoughts.

"Heh…yeah. There is someone else. It's a boy. A sensitive boy with a football-shaped head full of hopes and dreams. Sure I may have tormented him relentlessly…but I just wanted the chance to let him know that he was best and most important thing to ever happen in my life…and that I loved him."

"Helga?"

She knew immediately who it was. Helga turned around and embraced Arnold, planting a kiss right on his cheek and smiling broadly.

"I love you, Arnold. I mean it, I really do."

"I know. I love you, too."

At that, Helga's smile had waned. "Do you mean…as a friend…or as…"

"We have a connection, Helga – I can feel it. It goes beyond anything involving the Crystal. When we're a great distance apart, I swear I could sometimes hear you wherever you are.

Helga's eyes widened. "Really?"

Arnold nodded. "I didn't really know what it meant back then, but now…and when I was lost in that place outside of space and time, could you…?"

Helga nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, yes! I could hear you, too!"

"What we have…it's something that can't be replaced or described. It's palpable, it' stronger than just like-liking someone."

Helga squeezed Arnold. "I'll take it."

"And now I have a proposition for you all," announced ChibiUsa. "As a token of my gratitude for retrieving the royal family's heirloom, I'm willing to offer your past lives back."

"Our past lives?" said Lila.

"That's correct. I can restore the kingdom of Last Haste to its former glory, and you can all resume living as you once had before the grave incident took place."

"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity, girls," said Luna.

"Furthermore, we will offer any protection your kingdom may require in the event of any future attacks," added ChibiUsa.

The girls looked uneasily at one another. Finally, it was Helga who – after reluctantly prying herself away from Arnold – spoke up. "No," she said finally.

Sailor Pluto looked at Helga in surprise. "I beg your pardon?"

"You heard me," replied Helga. "I said no deal, Lady."

"That's _Small_ Lady!" whined Diana, who was given a stern look by her mother. ChibiUsa's expression remained unreadable.

"Look, with all due respect, I don't remember anything about my past life. And neither do any of the other girls. Last Haste isn't for me. Our home is Hillwood now."

"She's right," agreed Phoebe. "I was quite content with my life prior to become a senshi."

"Ditto," chimed Rhonda.

"I'd rather stick with what I know than something I don't," reasoned Patty.

"Life in the past isn't so bad…" said Lila.

"She's right," said Helga. "You should give it a try sometime. Who knows – you might like it."

Luna and Diana turned knowingly to Sailor Pluto and winked; Pluto smiled and nodded.

"I'm very touched and moved by your dedication to your new identities," revealed ChibiUsa. "And I am very open to honour your wish if you all so desire…with one caveat."

"Which is?" asked Helga, bracing for the worst.

"I can send you back to life in Hillwood, but it likely won't be the same Hillwood as what you remember."

"What does that mean?"

"Hillwood was an imperfect city to begin with, a clone of Last Haste through the power of the Crystal. The most I can do is make it so that Hillwood will never again see the risk of annihilation. But I can't promise that everything will be as it was before you became senshi. I can't even guarantee if your memories of these events will be intact."

"So…you mean….after all that…we might not remember _anything_?"

Sailor Pluto nodded solemnly.

This really dampened the mood of the girls. "But…if we can't remember anything…how will we be friends…?"

Unexpectedly, Arnold clasped his hand with Helga's. "We'll find a way. Won't we?"

He smiled hopefully at Helga. She smiled back warmly. "Right. After all…history has a funny way of repeating itself."

"And there's no guarantee that we'll all lose our memories," said Rhonda. "If any one of us still remembers, you have to promise to tell the others, for the sake of our friendship. Promise?"

Rhonda extended her hand outward, hand balled in a fist. Patty place her hand over Rhonda's first.

"Promise," she said.

The others promptly did the same.

"I promise," said Phoebe.

"Me too," said Lila.

"If I have to remember, you're all going to suffer with me," joked Helga.

Arnold put his hand down last, over Helga's. He nodded to her, and she nodded back.

"Have you made your decision?" asked ChibiUsa.

Helga faced ChibiUsa and, to the surprise of everyone in attendance, did a curtsy in front of her.

"Small Lady – yes, we've decided. We'd like to go back home. To Hillwood."

When the girls snickered, Helga turned and gave them the stink eye.

"Put a lid on it!" she whispered. "Unless you _want_ her to send us back as toddlers."

"Then it's time. Open the gate, Sailor Pluto," instructed Small Lady.

Sailor Pluto obeyed and, using the power of her Garnet Rod, opened the time gate. A strong wind blew in their faces, making it difficult to see what lay on the other side.

"Whenever you're ready, girls," said ChibiUsa. "Good luck in the past."

Helga, Arnold, Phoebe, Rhonda, Patty, and Lila all held hand as they walked in a horizontal line into the gate. Once inside, the gate closed behind them, but they paid it no mind; they only focused straight ahead on the past they weren't wont to leave behind.

_End of Part 11!_


	13. Epilogue

_Part 12 (Epilogue)_

_**RIIIIIIIIIIIING! RIIIIIIIIING!**_

Helga G. Pataki fell out of bed. The nine-year old girl lunged for her alarm clock to both silence it and check the time.

"Criminy! I'm going to be late!"

Luckily the alarm clock was only a back-up; she still had time, but she would have to rush. Helga left her room, running downstairs to the kitchen while simultaneously brushing her teeth.

A bright-eyed and bushy-tailed Miriam was waiting for her with a paper-bag lunch.

"Mom…!" said Helga, somewhat out of surprise.

"I thought you might've overslept," explained Miriam, handing her the bag. "Think of it as a pre-emptive strike."

"But it's Saturday. You didn't have to…"

"Up-up-up!" interrupted Miriam. "Didn't want you to be late – you're meeting Phoebe today, right? I packed your favorite sandwich with the crust cut off, a Yahoo! soda, and I made you a fresh fruit salad, no strawberries."

Helga looked up at her mother with an appreciative glance. "Thanks, Mom. You're the greatest."

"Hey, there she is!" Big Bob entered the kitchen with both arms out-stretched, ready to capture Helga in a hug and swing her around. "There's my favorite only daughter! How ya doin' this morning, Helga?"

"I'm fine, dad," replied Helga, as Big Bob set her back on the ground. "But aren't you forgetting something?"

"No, don't think so…"

Miriam nudged Big Bob harshly with her elbow. "B…Your eldest daughter, Olga?"

"Oh yeah…ah, she's not here right now, so no harm done."

"Listen, I gotta get going," Helga said, heading for the door. "I'll see you guys later. Love you!"

"Love you too, honey!" Big Bob and Miriam said in unison.

* * *

><p>As Helga ran down the sidewalk, a city bus was driving down the street in the opposite direction. A few blocks past the Pataki household, Rhonda stepped off at the bus stop. She adjusted her clunky, unfashionable glasses that sat lopsided on her face (courtesy of lopsided ears), but had a positive smile on her face.<p>

As she walked down the block, she past a group of three young girls (Gerald's sister Timberly included), playing double-dutch. She paused in front of them and sighed, shaking her head.

"Oh no no no no no – this simply won't do," she said. "Hold my bag, please."

Timberly took the bag as Rhonda took her place in double-dutch. She instructed the girls to spin the ropes as fast as they possibly could, and she jumped in. Without missing a beat, Rhonda pulled off a couple quick tricks and elaborate stunts before jumping out of the circle, leaving the three girls in total awe.

Rhonda took her bag from Timberly. "And that's how it's done." she said, slightly out of breath, before continuing down the sidewalk.

"Who was THAT?" said one of the girls.

"Her name's Rhonda - she's in my big brother's grade at school," replied Timberly.

"THAT…was the coolest thing I had ever seen in my life," said the third girl. Timberly and the other girl couldn't help but agree with that sentiment.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile at the Heyerdahl household, Phoebe was still getting ready in her room. After she finished brushing her hair, she quickly glanced at her work desk. On it, her geography homework was splayed out and untouched.<p>

Phoebe shrugged. "I'll get to it later," she said, literally closing the book and exiting the room.

When she reached the outside, she spotted a small white cat attempting the cross the road in front of the house. At that exact moment, however, the Jolly Olly Man's truck was careening down the road at top speed.

"Oh no!" Phoebe cried, shielding her eyes to avoid the sight of imminent impact. But just as it looked like the cat's fate was sealed, a big girl in a plaid skirt jumped into action and saved the cat, in turn causing the ice cream truck to slam into a nearby lamppost.

A small crowd of kids had gathered around the wreckage, and Phoebe was quickly among them. The Jolly Olly Man rushed out of the vehicle and to the girl's side.

"Oh, my word! Tell me child, are you alright/hurt?" asked the Jolly Olly Man, his voice steeped with concern.

"Hey, you big jerk! You almost killed Patty!" said Sid.

"Yeah!" said Stinky. "All she was trying to do was rescue that poor defenseless feline, and you were going to flatten her like yesterday's detritus!"

Sid turned to look at Stinky, puzzled. "Detritus?"

"Look it up, Sid. I ain't no walkin' dictionary."

"I'm fine, you guys," said Patty, getting to her feet, the kitten still gripped in her hands. "And so's the kitten. It looks like it has a nametag – I'm going to see if I can find the owner."

"Oh, please, let me come with you!" pleaded Harold.

"Yeah, let us tag along!" said Sid. "We wanna make sure you're okay!"

"Thanks," said Patty. "But I'd prefer to do this alone, having too many people tag along might slow me down. Besides, I still have to find out where 123 Elm Street is."

"Excuse me," chimed in Phoebe. "But did you say 123 Elm Street? I have a classmate that resides at that address. I could lead you directly to her domicile."

"Alright, then, let's go," said Patty.

"Wait a minute!" said the Jolly Olly Man loudly. "I feel terrible about all of this! Before you go, everyone please partake in some free ice cream! Who likes rum raisin?"

As Sid waved his hand like a madman and the other children gathered around him, Patty and Phoebe went to find the owner of the cat.

* * *

><p>In a nice neighborhood on the other side of the city, a redheaded girl in expensive clothes looked out the window.<p>

"Look, Daddy!" she said excitedly, pointing to the short and tall girls walking towards the house with a white cat. "They found Arty!"

"I guess we better welcome then in and thank them for their troubles," said the girl's father. "Could you get the door, Lila?"

Lila nodded and was about to head for the door, when a redheaded boy zipped by her from the other room by her, laughing along the way.

"You snooze you loose, sis!" taunted the boy.

"Mother!" cried Lila. "Tell Liam to knock it off – he's being ever-so obnoxious right now!"

"Liam, quit teasing your sister," came a lilted voice from the other room, followed a slender, pretty, redhead woman. She entered the living room and walked over to a coffee table where Liam had knocked over a picture stand. She picked up the stand and set it upright once again so that it proudly displayed a picture of smiling, happy, family of four.

"We're all here, so let's welcome them in together."

* * *

><p>Helga was jogging lightly down the block, lunch still in hand.<p>

"I was supposed to meet Phoebe in the Park about 10 minutes ago," she thought worried. "I hope she's not mad at me…"

As Helga turned the corner, however, her train of thought was cut short when she bumped into a young boy in a small blue hat. They both fell to the ground, and Helga dropped the bag, spilling its contents.

"Watch where you're going, football-head!" said Helga to the boy.

The boy with the football-shaped head was stricken with embarrassment. "Oh gee – I'm so sorry, Helga!"

"Yeah, well you should be," said Helga as she stood up and dusted herself off.

"Really, Helga, I AM sorry. I- I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, I got distracted and…"

"Hey, hey!" interrupted Helga, cutting the boy off. She then grinned as if she were suppressing a funny joke. "Arnold…Did you seriously think I was mad? Gotcha!"

Relieved that she was only pretending, Arnold let out a huge sigh. "You got me, alright," putting his hands on his hips to convey mock-annoyance.

Helga helped Arnold off the ground. "No harm, no foul, right?"

"I still feel bad for making you lose your lunch."

"Wouldn't be the first time," Helga quipped, then punched Arnold on the arm. "Kidding! I'm kidding! Criminy, football-head, where's your sense of humor?"

"Well, at least let me help you pick this stuff up…"

Arnold and Helga stooped over the sidewalk to pick up the remains of the lunch that Miriam had so lovingly packed. When they set their sights on the heart-shaped sandwich, they grabbed for it at the same time, and their hands touched.

Helga and Arnold looked at each other for several seconds before pulling away, recoiling their hands. Helga tried her best to hide her blushing. "I-I should get going," she stammered, quickly running down the sidewalk. "I'll see at school on Monday!"

"Wait!" Arnold watched as the girl departed down the sidewalk, then sighed, and turned to go on his way. When he reached a nearby alley, however, he ducked inside when no one was looking and stood close to the wall. He then pulled from his shirt a heart-shaped locket containing a picture of Helga G. Pataki.

Arnold held the locket close to his heart and swooned longingly. "Someday, my love…someday."

**THE END**


End file.
